So This Is How It Goes
by NerdwithaBook
Summary: Ezra was given a horrible past, but finally found a family that actually cares for him, maybe a little too much. A sick twist of events shoves his memories back at him, though. When Ezra makes the sacrifice, what will happen? With some new tech, old memories, and lots of enemies, this is bound to get interesting.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Star Wars Rebels or any of these characters.**

 **Wow, you guys are so nice! I wasn't expecting anything from my last story, but you were all so nice! Everything was just "awwww"s and "so great"s. Thank you all so much! You guys probably don't realize how awesome I felt after reading your reviews. You're the best!**

 **And, sorry, but now I am going to try to rip your hearts out and make you cry. ;) Love you!**

 **I will take some liberties with Ezra's past. In the show, he just keeps saying that he grew up alone and on the streets. He also keeps mentioning that he survived. I am going to delve deeper into his past. It will be very sad. Just as a warning. Ezra makes me want to hug him and bake him cookies and tell him everything's going to be okay, love! Dang it, Disney!**

 **Just to warn you, this chapter is mostly for exposition. It isn't that good, but they will get better, I promise. Please read and review!**

Ezra:

The stars twinkle in the small window as the _Ghost_ floats through the endless universe. Well, it may not be endless, but it _is_ constantly expanding. ( _Shush, logic)._ In my bunk, though, space seems as clear and cool as it did when I was little and gazing up at its magnificence. You could climb there and drink in all it had to offer. Wonder filled my eyes as I stood, toes curling in the crisp grass, reaching up and pretending I was there. I would forget to breathe for a moment, then gulp down the fresh sweetness as I stood awe-struck in my back yard thinking how big and beautiful everything really was. Such was the night. I could live forever here, my thoughts running rampant, without any person to stop me or make me defend myself, however unnecessarily. _(Shush, logic. My walls protect me. I made them because I needed them. They aren't coming down any time soon.)_ Now, though, I am not thinking of the galaxy's wonders, but of my loss. And it hurts.

I cannot believe that my home planet is now off limits to us. That's where my whole life was centered! That's where my house is _(was)!_ That's where my parents were! That was where I grew up! How could this have happened? Now everyone there thinks that we are crazy and volatile, about to explode at any moment, shrapnel ready to fly at and mutilate them. The people, MY people, have rejected us. What the heck!

The truth ( _and reality) (shut up, mind_ ) slowly dawned on me. I realize my error, sighing at my ignorance. Lothal WAS my home. True, I've only been here, with this ragtag ( _but somehow endearin_ g) bunch, for a few months, but these people have become my family ( _was there ever any doubt?) (there still is_ whispers deep down in my suppressed mind) and wherever they are is my home. The place doesn't make the home, the people do ( _These awesome, accepting, loving people_ ). They are my new people. Besides, Lothal never really treated me well, anyways. He he. Eeeeh. I laugh a little nervously, but it just turns into a grimace.

What I fear most is that the memories will come back. It's really more anxiety than fear: a cold, nagging feeling. Sometimes I remember the bad days, when it was just me against the world and I was losing. Badly. Those memories are the scariest. The thought of them terrifies me and can even freeze me in the moment, unable to even move as my mind works up and my body joins in on the fun. How nice.

The strangest thing is that, around these people, it is getting harder and harder to shove ( _grunt_ ) my emotions ( _uh-ah_ ) down. The longer I am with them, the more these seem determined to rear their ugly head. I keep locking them away, but they keep demanding to be acknowledged. Why is it that these people are making me a big softy?

Still, I can't share these with anyone. The pain and fear of reliving these memories would kill me. Plus, it is more than a _little_ bit embarrassing. All I can do is force them down for long enough to breathe, though now I feel rather congested, then hope that the day will help me forget or dull the pain. This is probably not the healthiest way to deal with it, but since when have I been healthy?

Who knew beds could be so comfy? Honestly, this still shocks me, even after a few months.

 _I'm just glad,_ I thought as I drifted off to sleep, _that I finally found a place where people don't want to kill me all the time._

 **Well, there we are, people. I hope you liked it. Enjoy the Thursday! I will be super-busy (when am I not?), so I will probably only be able to update once a week. Super sorry. :(**

 **Love you all! See you next week!**


	2. Chapter 2: Mission Quite Possible

Hera had a tough morning. Sabine had wanted to talk, so of course Hera listened. Then, when she went to get breakfast, she noted that they were on their last crate of food, the one they had used they last credits to buy. After that, the internal communication network died. A tie had blasted through their shields during the last mission. It hit right below the left wing of her ship. Thankfully, they had been able to jump to hyperspace to avoid any further damage, but there were several problems that had to be solved with unreliable, old parts from another area of the ship. The internal communications took over an hour to fix. Within that hour she covered herself with grease, stabbed her hands and arms numerous times, and shocked herself twice.

Because of this, she had been in a rather foul mood. She was pretty nervous, too. Their fuel tank was almost empty. Their food was running out. Their wiring was dying and they needed new machine parts. Zeb nearly broke his bo-rifle, but instead burned his arm, so they needed more bacta. (That Lasat was on her last nerve this week.) To top it all off, Ezra needed to lengthen his clothes again. (It was starting to look ridiculous. His arms and legs stuck out almost five inches. She didn't know how he grew so _fast_ , but Kanaan said it was normal for a human male to eat and grow enormous amounts in a small period of time, which, again, made her worry about running low on food. Ezra refused to part with his jumpsuit, probably because he didn't want to spend any more money than necessary, so Hera had resorted to sewing on extensions. That kid, she had thought, was so stubborn, but so thoughtful. Her babies were the best.)

Hera was feeling scared, especially about the food. If she couldn't repair the communications, there would be no chance of a mission, or any credits. Thankfully, she did finally fix it with a part Ezra gave her. (He was acting a little strangely. Usually he was bouncy and fidgety, constantly moving with an energy she had never seen matched. When he had given her the part, though, he seemed tired. He better not be coming down with something.) She had just finished repairing the wiring for communications when she heard Fulcrum trying to contact her. This reminded her of the reason she had almost panicked in the first place. The wiring had been damaged a week ago during their last job. They had been cheated out of half the credits by Braxtynn, that no good, sniveling, dirty, _arrogant son of a ban-_

 _Breathe, Hera_. Fulcrum had apparently given that man permission to 'deal with them' (as he put it). Why? She didn't know why, because they were one of the (if not the) most active ships in the rebellion. They provided a constant stream of weapons and goods that no one else could be trusted to get. Somehow, though, they had been stuck with this bumbling idiot. He had swindled them out of half their profit, too, by claiming that the goods had been damaged. How can you damage blasters? That doesn't even make any sense!

Suddenly, she heard Kanaan approaching from the halls.

"Kanaan, get in here. We just got contacted by Fulcrum," she called over her shoulder while wiping some grease off her face with an old, soaked rag. It wasn't really working.

"How'd you know it was me?" He asked as he wiped a streak off her cheek with his thumb.

"I know what everyone's footsteps sound like, but that's not the poin-"

"What do they sound like?" Kanaan quirked an eyebrow. He always took every opportunity to see his captain flustered. Plus, he was interested.

She groaned in frustration, fixing him with a look that said _Are you_ _ **kidding**_ _me, Jarrus?_

 _Winning._

"Zeb's sounds like an elephant is passing. Sabine's are somewhere between a march and a sashay, but they're still quiet. Ezra is either as quiet as a mouse or running, usually away from Zeb, who you can hear a mile away, or chopper, who whirrs. You're steps are measured and consistent. They aren't soft, but they aren't as loud as Zeb's." She turned with an annoyed flick of the hand. "Happy?"

"Yes, actually."

She growled, spinning around to adjust the controls. "Like I was _trying_ to tell you, we have a new mission from Fulcrum. It's not too bad, either. We need to raid a secret imperial base, then drop off the crates to one of her contacts. They are willing to pay a lot." She turned again with a serious face. "You know how badly we need credits right now."

Of course he knew. They were in need of everything, especially the money to get them. He was, however, concerned about what people were willing to pay so much for and why. "What are we picking up that's so important?" He questioned, caution lining his words.

Hera sighed. "I know this sounds weird, but she said not to ask and not to look. Apparently, it is top secret and will be ruined if we opened it. It's also something we would be better off not knowing about." Kanaan shot her a disbelieving look. Hera felt her patience wearing thin.

"Look, we need the money, okay!" She snapped. "At this point, I don't really care _what_ it is as long as we get paid for it! If you want to keep this bird in the air, or if you _don't_ want to crash and blow up, or if you would like to eat every once in a while, or if you want-"

"Hera," Kanaan interrupted soothingly as he knelt beside her. "Of _course_ I want everyone to be safe and taken care of."

She stopped, closing her mouth and breathing deeply. _Why does he have to know me so well?_ Hera wondered as she felt her anger dissipating. She really wanted to be angry at him, but she just couldn't. She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"We're going to be okay," he added, taking her hand and patting it with his other. She looked into his eyes, realizing how much she trusted him. They would all be fine. Everything would work out.

Kanaan nuzzled her nose, then stood up, lifting her with him. "If we want those credits, we should assemble the team and get a plan."

Why was it so attractive when he did that?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Specter Six! Where are you?_

Spector One, I'm right above the target.

 _What's taking so long?_

Don' get yur knicker in a tweest. I'm-a coming.

 _Specter Six_ , the man practically barked.

Gosh, did Ezra love his master, especially when he was in trouble.

It was a nice, bitter, freezing cold winter morning when Fulcrum brought news of an incoming shipment on Lothal. They were not quite sure what it was, but Fulcrum was prepared to pay some serious cash for it. The ten crates were to be taken, the brought to an obscure location 45 minutes from the capital city. The facility they were currently at had three stories and resembled a massive, half-completed game of Jenga. Metal gleamed a blue color in the soft light. Bridges and random holes were scattered across the complex. There were also gaps for lifts and for crafts to travel through. Troopers were seen on guard at almost every part of the facility. Whatever was being done here was obviously important to the empire. _All the more fun it will be when we completely wreck them._

The crates would be on the lowest level under guard. There were five stages in their plan. The Ghost would distract the imperials by attacking the front of the facility. Ezra would break into the command center and disable the shields. This served the duel purpose of freaking the imperials out about the Ghost and letting the Phantom creep in undetected. The Phantom would load the crates up, then Sabine would rig some fancy explosives, allowing the Ghost a chance to retreat. They would regroup outside capital city, then go deliver the prize. It was brilliant. Something would go wrong.

You know what else is wrong? Lothal may be a desert planet, but that doesn't mean that its winters aren't as extreme as the summer heat can be. In some areas, the temperature can drop up to 25 degrees within a matter of minutes. It is so dangerous, in fact, that if one were to be caught outside during sunset, they risk freezing to death before they could walk from the field to the house. Ezra remembered being on the streets during this weather. Most people pitied them and would let them loiter, but there was that one time... His limbs hurt just thinking about it.

The daytime conditions weren't much better. The temperature of the day was a high of 23 and a low of -2. Perfect in Ezra's opinion. Who needs heat?

Oh, and even more perfect? He had blown his grits five times that morning. That felt just _divine_. The dizziness and headache that accompanied it made it so much better, too. He could be worse, though, and he had been through worse before. Ezra knew he could still get his job done; there was no need to jeopardize the mission or worse, endanger the crew. No, he decided he would just suck it up. Pull his weight. He sniffed and wiped the liquid that dribbled off his nose. His upper lip was red, raw, and itchy. And it kind of hurt. _Great_.

Unfortunately, due to his condition, and slight dehydration from throwing up so much, he was a little less agile than normal. He took a little bit longer to get through the ventilation systems, which were warm from carrying heat. At least there was one good thing about this mission. The Ghost was almost never this warm. (That cost more money than they could afford.) Of course, it wasn't all comfortable and easy. He had to walk two miles through the sharp, frozen grass to avoid the security system. He had been smart enough to bring a bandana, which he tied around his nose to protect his face from the frosty air. This didn't protect all of him, though. His hair and eyelashes had frozen and snow covered them with powder. Because of the temperature, his fingertips had gone numb and blue. The grass was sharp and course, too, giving him several cuts which stung. One blade tore a small hole in his sleeve, too. _I'll have to ask Hera to patch that up later,_ he thought. _She always does it much better than I do._

He had then snuck inside the building and evaded the troopers until he approached the stairwell. He hugged the wall, working quickly and hoping no trooper could see his frozen breath. His luck never was that good, though. When taking off the grate, his fingers slipped and dropped a screw onto the metal floors. The noise alerted a nearby stormtrooper, which Ezra had to deal with. Normally, a quick energy blast would do the trick, but his aim was off and he couldn't hit the gaps between the heavy armor. Because of this, a fist fight ensued. Ezra won after an elbow to the chin knocked out his opponent, but his nose was bloody (now dripping with not one, but two liquids!) and his left leg (But wait, there's more!) was hurting _a_ _ **heck**_ _of a LOT._ So, yes, crawling through the grate took a little while. It didn't help he puked in the ventilation. At least he left the cleaning crew a gift. Besides, he felt a lot better and more alert, now. (Somehow puking did that.) Heat traveled through the vents, warming his frozen clothes. The snow melted off, leaving him dripping wet. That wouldn't exactly help him.

This took him to the present time, hanging right over the control center of the facility. Rubbing his eyes to clear them (they were becoming rather blurry), he whispered into his impatient comm. " _Hold your horses, Specter One. It'll be just a sec._ " There were guards, of course, but because of the Ghost's sudden appearance, most were running to the front lines. Quickly sliding down, Ezra hid behind a table. He tried to put most of his weight on his right leg, but he still winced when his left hit the ground. He crouched, spying around the edge. His clothes dripped, leaving a small puddle as he waited for an opportunity to slip between the desks. The room was circular with tables and computers forming lines around a central panel. There were four bucket heads in the room. One was punching buttons and giving commands. A second was typing on the computer. The remaining two were scanning the screens, which covered half the wall and showed most of the facility. These screens flicked between the outside, the inside, and the surrounding area.

 _Why is this place so well guarded?_

Computer dude left, exiting through the sliding doors.

 _Now's my chance._

The teen army-crawled beneath the tables to the central panels, which emitted cool air to prevent overheating. His frosty breath stung his own face and froze crystals back onto his eyelashes. Pulling himself up into a half-crouch, (and ignoring his _stupid_ _ **flipping**_ _leg_!) he grit his teeth and began tampering with the wiring. He worked his way to the central power cord. This he cut, immediately turning off all power and leaving them in the dark. While the stormtroopers stumbled over to the doorway (Seriously, why hadn't any of them seen him yet?), Ezra took the opportunity to leap to the other end of the panel and rip out most of the wiring for the shields. The last trooper was exiting, Mr. Pushy, when Ezra felt it. He couldn't stop it! He sneezed.

The trooper rushed back into the room, seeing Ezra, who wiped his nose and gave a little, two-fingered wave.

 _Great. Just great._

Before Mr. Pushy could use his blaster, Ezra ducked behind the table again. As the trooper circled around, he slipped under another table, then around again so he faced the trooper's back. He grabbed the chair and hit him over the head. The trooper hit the deck, out cold.

 _So subtle._

The sound would attract more guards, so Ezra hid the man under a table, straining due to the man's weight and his lethargy. His leg just would **not** shut _up_. Pain shot up his leg and into his hip. Ezra dropped the man and hissed, nearly collapsing. He couldn't run through the halls, his leg wouldn't be able to take that and the troopers were coming here, anyways. He climbed onto the desk and pulled himself into the grate. Twisting around himself, he closed the grate behind him. He heard the troopers entering the room as he crawled away.

Warm air flooded through his nostrils and tickled his skin. He felt constrained. Suddenly, the heat felt smothering. Pressure pushed on his lungs until he was desperate to get out. Seeing another grate, he pried it open and scrambled out. _Anywhere is better than there,_ he thought. He found himself at the staircase leading to the downstairs landing bay, where Zeb and Kanaan would be. He slid down the stairs, which was both faster and less painful. A perfect combination, really, in his opinion.

The power was still out, but it would be back on soon. This was important. Not only was it easier to escape when no one can see you, but the troopers did not have their monitors to see what they were doing. Also, the Ghost was a distraction that drew attention away from the fact that they had infiltrated the build. When the power was turned back on, they would notice the fields.

Ezra tumbled off the railing and limped to the exit. He felt his stomach start to clench, causing him to fold in on himself. He had to lean against the doorway, catching his breath and holding down his cookies, before entering the cargo loading area. He tried not to limp, but failed miserably. Inside, it was not completely dark, due to the Phantom's lights, and Ezra saw no troopers, but it was cold, cold enough to see his breath and send chills through his arms. His legs, especially the dang left one, were on fire, so the chill was more than welcome there.

He could make out two figures, obviously Kanaan and Zeb, grabbing the crates, so he stumbled to the last one, sneezed, then began loading it. Hearing him, Kanaan called over his shoulder.

"Hey, what took so long?" Concern was hidden behind those simple words.

"Minor issues. Nothing I couldn't handle."

A grunt was the only response. There was no time for talking. Imperials would be here soon.

"All loaded." The Lasat called before ducking into the craft.

Kanaan went to the pilot's cushy chair. Ezra shivered as he closed the hatch. He couldn't really push with his leg, so he got creative. He used his right leg for support as he leaned back, tugging the door closed behind him.

A though dawned on him through his blurry vision and muddled mind. "Hey, Master?"

"Mmh," he answered as he readied the ship for take-off.

"Don't turn the lights on. The power's still out and we don't want them to be able to see us."

"Good idea, kid."

"I knew 'ere wa' a re'son we kept 'im aroun'," the Lasat quipped. Ezra could feel the sarcastic smile.

"Quiet, the both of you." Kanaan interjected before the teen could rebuttal. "We don't want to be caught because you two couldn't stop arguing."

Ezra sniffed, but just glared at the purple mass. As if that did any good. It was too dark to see anything. His stomach contracted, and he nearly threw up _again_. His headache was getting worse. The cold had numbed it before, but now that he was warming up, it was coming back with a vengeance.

With that, the Phantom slipped out. Kanaan picked up his comm. "Spector Two, step three complete. Initiate step four."

" _Copied_."

Almost instantly, a bright pink and orange blast lit the building. (And that made his head feel lovely.) He could hear imperial shouts and orders as they tried (and failed) to control the situation. Then, alarms went off and even more shouts were heard. _Ah, so the power's back on._ Ezra grinned _. They discovered what we did, then._ Ties were no doubt being readied and weapons loaded.

The Empire was too late, though. The crafts were gone, on their way to the rendezvous 45 minutes away. Zeb and Kanaan began to whisper. Ezra tried to keep up, but his mind floated in and out of lucidity. He gave up after about five minutes. Bored, Ezra sat on an overturned bucket at the back of the craft, facing the wall as they continued to talk. The teen found he couldn't cross his legs, though, to meditate. He swung one up onto the crate, then gingerly lifted his left one. Bracing his arms on the bucket, he tried to slip into a state of meditation. _Perfect form, Ezra_. He couldn't find it in himself to are, though. Everything was blurry. His leg hurt, his nose hurt, his head hurt... Come to think of it, almost everything hurt. He found that his body was giving out on him, not that he could blame it. It had worked hard today. The craft was a lot warmer than outside. It tugged at his aching mind and body, lulling it into a deep sleep.

XXXXXXXXX

"Looks like th' kid's fin-ly fell asleep," Zeb nodded to the back of the craft.

Kanaan glanced over his shoulder, putting the craft on autopilot. He noticed how he was slumped down, snoring contently without any of the movement that characterized him during the day. "He looks like he needs it."

Zeb squinted and frowned. "I think 'is nose's bleedin'."

Kanaan got up and walked over to him. It was bleeding pretty hard. Glancing to the side, he noticed that one of the crates had some blood on it, as well. He sighed. "Toss me a rag, Zeb."

Zeb chuckled, but obeyed. There was no way _he_ was doing it.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Well, here we are, another finishishd chapter. I have alreasy written the outline for the next few chapters and I'm really excited! Thank you to everyone who commented and reviewed! If anyone reads this chapter, comment to tell me what you think! Anything is welcome! TTYL , loves! :)**


	3. Chapter 3: Memories Best Forgotten

**Author's note: After this chapter, things escalate**. **I promise.**

Ezra's dreams were never the best, but now that he was with the crew, and they started forcing him to face his past, the nightmares only got worse. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate them, or the fact that they cared that much about him, but he was still afraid. His past was something he always preferred to leave behind. He was a runner, never staying in one place long enough to get too attached. He tried, at first, to attain _some_ level of normalcy, but he gave up on _that_ worthless dream after the first few failures. Ezra had learned quickly that the world was cruel and cold, always taking what he craved for most. He was always anticipating the next failure, the next danger. His clothing and habits attested to that. His suit was a walking tool case. He had tools up both sleeves and inside secret pockets. He stashed additional supplies like a squirrel, hollowing out walls and insulation to stash a few extra things. Quick get-aways were a learned habit. He had nearly died without them, of course. Those memories were the ones that haunted him. He had learned how to ignore them well enough during the day, but they crept up on him whenever he closed his eyes.

The problem was that the dreams, or memories, always seemed so real.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The room blurred and swirled. He felt as if he were under water. Sounds were garbled and distorted. His vision throbbed with the pulses of his head. It hurt! His heat beat wildly and he gasped for air.

The brown hands reached out for him, but he stumbled backwards. Lights swirled around vague objects. There was a table and a bed. There was blood. Lots of it. The figure's brown hair swung like a pendulum behind the blurred man. He slowly walked forward. _Enjoying this._ Ezra's back hit the wall. _Trapped_. The cruel fingers launched forward, throwing him sideways onto his back. His wounds screamed in pain as his back slammed down and his head uttered a sick _crack_ against the concrete floor. _No, please! You promised!_ He kicked, scooting away, but the figure was too fast. His limbs were slow. He couldn't control them. He was too weak to get away; he was caught again. The room danced around him like macabre kaleidoscope. The figure bent down. It picked him up by his shirt front. He was dangling like some sick, bloody rag doll. Cold brown eyes scanned his face with a twisted grin. "I lied." Muscle rippling and green clothes snapping, his fist swung around. Ezra tried to block it, but-

"Dang it, kid. I said wake up!"

Ezra bolted upright, lungs heaving in and out. Sweat dripped off his face and soaked his clothes. _Stop it! Let me go!_ Disoriented, he twisted himself around. His chest was hot and constricted. Hands were squeezing his shoulders and pain danced up his left leg and nose. Ezra jerked away, kicking against his attacker and slamming his back into the wall. He was trapped! _Again_! His leg was screaming and his nose was none too happy, either. He couldn't think. He tried, but everything was fuzzy. It was just static. His vision was blurry, but he could still see a man crouched in front of him. Reaching for him!

He panicked. Instincts and fear took over. Adrenaline rushed through him. He threw his arms out in defense. The figure was caught off guard, but deftly dodged him. Instead, he grabbed his biceps and forced Ezra into a supine position, completely pressed against the ground. He howled and spat vile curses and insults at the filth on him. The boy thrashed with all his might as the man sat on his stomach, pinning him to the ground. He looked up. Brown hair and tan skin. A guttural cry forced its way out his mouth. His legs flailed, his head spun, and he flung himself violently in every direction. His heart sped up even more. He could barely choke any air down his burning lungs. "Get off!" He gasped. "Let _go_ of me, you son of a bantha!"

"A little help!" His attacker called. _As if you couldn't deal with me well enough on your own!_ The teen uttered unintelligible insults and curses. He fought desperately to get away. " _Let me_ _ **GO**_ _!_ " He shrieked. Another pair of hands held down his shoulders and upper body. The man on his chest grabbed for his head. Hysteria filled his eyes as he jerked. The sweat on his body loosened the grip on his shoulders. They slammed back into the lap of whoever was behind him. The person pushed his shoulders down farther, arms crossed at the top of his chest, eliciting another wild yell. The blurry man grabbed his face, forcing Ezra to look at him. The room spun and blurred into crazy lights and colors. His eyes darted wildly, desperately trying to make sense of it all.

"Come on, look at me, buddy." Ever so gently. _As if you care about me! You idiot pile of trash!_

The boy forced a small cry out of his tight chest. A face buried into his hair, nuzzling his scalp. He froze up, eyes flying open in confusion. _Mom?_ His movements slowed until he was not longer hysterically jerking and thrashing. He just limply twitched as his vision began to sharpen again. His chest began to un-tighten and he gasped for air.

"Easy, there buddy. That's it. In and out."

The arms around his shoulders were lifted and fingers ran through his hair. He realized he was shaking. His vision was slowly un-blurring. _Where-?_ Ezra pushed back slightly with his feet, trying to sit up. _Why did that hurt so much?_ A hand from both the man on his chest and the person behind him softly pushed him down. He was in someone's lap. Soft fingers brushed his cheek and played in his hair, tucking strands behind his ear and combing through the wild mess. It was warm and...and-

" _Shhhhh_ ," calmed a voice behind him.

He trembled as his lungs slowly vibrated in and out. His body radiated heat, but he felt cold and drained. Waves of calm washed over him and he leaned back into the lap under his head. He squinted his exhausted eyes up, forcing the heavy lids to stay open. Fingers brushed back his hair and left a small kiss on his clammy forehead. He sniffed, noticing that his face was wet and his mouth tasted like iron. He held up his hand to look at it. It shook and blurred, but slowly came into focus. He squinted, then waited for fingers to come into view. He lazily flopped his head back again, staring at the person on him. He could almost make out their face... Then, his stomach clenched. He reared up, upsetting the person on top of him. They crashed onto a tin bucket with a surprised yelp. The teen grabbed it and heaved.

Someone rubbed small circles into his back. His throat burned, his chest hurt, and he felt disgusting. It was odd; after throwing up, he felt more lucid. He panted and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. Everything was just so _tired_. Sweat dripped off the side of his face and blood slid off his chin.

 _Now, you've made yourself look like an idiot. Wait, who-. Where am I?_

Looking to the side, he squinted. His vision finally obeyed. Embarrassment followed guilt. Kanaan studying him carefully, as if he were made of glass and could crack at any moment. _Oh, gosh! Kanaan..._ He just seemed so soft and... concerned. Ezra felt oddly exposed. Glancing away quickly, he turned his head to see who was behind him. Hera's soft gaze and warm smile met him. He sighed, looking down in embarrassment. He tried to return a small one of his own, but it turned out as more of a grimace. His stomach objected and tried to empty itself again. The smell of bile filled the room.

"Wha's goin' on en there?" A gruff voice sounded from a doorway. _Oh_ , Ezra realized as he saw the markings on the wall, they were on the Phantom. Zeb stepped into the room.

"Tossing cookies," Ezra replied before doubling over again. Green-yellow bile spewed out of his mouth. There wasn't much left in him though, so he began to dry heave. His voice sounded weak and gravelly, even to himself. _Well, that's a good sign!_

"Oh." Zeb winced at seeing the kid so weak. This wasn't usual. He was sweating and bleeding. His face was deathly white. He was trying to hide it, but Zeb could see that the kid was shaking. And he _kept throwing up._ "Well, ya' sho' stop tha'."

Hera shot him a look and Ezra looked up with a slightly amused expression. _Well, yes. I agree, big guy._

"Agreed. On three, then."

Zeb chuckled nervously, then counted. Why, he didn't know. He wasn't good at these things. Ezra just rolled his eyes and spewed again. Great. Looking rather out of his comfort zone, Zeb awkwardly walked out. "Sabine!" His voice faded as he walked down the halls. "Where are the..."

"So," Ezra turned and faced Kanaan and Hera after cleaning himself off with his sleeve again. "How long have we been docked?"

They stared at him for a few seconds, then glanced at each other.

 _Oh, no,_ Ezra thought. _They're doing that thing again._

"Not long," replied Kanaan. "You were out for an hour. Your nose was bleeding and you didn't look that good, so we let you sleep. Then we docked and Zeb walked out. I left, but came back a second later to get you. When I came back, well, you had fallen off the bucket and were..." His hand flopped. "You know-"

"Having a nightmare," Hera finished as she leaned forward. She pressed the back of her hand against his cheeks, then leaned back with a worried look on her face. "You have a pretty bad fever," she commented while turning to Kanaan. "He can't take fever reducers because he'll just throw them up."

"We'll just have to keep him cool and let him rest, then. I'll stay with him," he glanced down, worry etching lines around his eyes.

"You and Zeb still need to to deliver the crates to our contact, too." She held a hand up to Ezra, who had opened his mouth. "Don't start with me, mister. You didn't tell me you had a fever before. You went on that last little mission with it. Also, the contact only wanted two people to meet with them. I need to fly the plane and Sabine's good with guns."

He wisely shut his mouth.

"And," she added with a quirk of her eyebrow and a small scowl. "I want to know how you managed to get a bloody nose and do that," she pointed, "to your leg."

Ezra looked down and saw that his pant leg was ripped and a little bloody. His left leg appeared to be swollen, as well. _That's odd..._

"Oh." _But that explains why it freaking hurts!_

Kanaan smirked. "Where is the contact, anyway, Hera?"

"I'm not sure. It's not in any city on the charts. We have coordinates, though, and we will be landing in five."

Kanaan nodded. His padawan looked ready to pass out. His head bobbed forward, then snapped back as his eyes were forced open. Hera nodded to her Jedi, who took one of the teen's arms and slung him over his shoulder. Ezra's eyes widened when he put pressure on his left leg, but he grit his teeth and stumbled down the hall to his bunk. _He hates to be led,_ Kanaan noticed. He was trying to reject any help. He tried to walk as independently as he could, even though it was clear that he had hurt his leg and his body was completely exhausted.

Ezra tried to push himself onto his bunk, his leg dangling as he dragged himself up the ladder. Kanaan just shook his head at the sheer amount of stubborn facing him. He sighed. Despite the teen's protests, Kanaan plucked him off the ladder and sat him down on the floor. He dragged the mattress to the ground. Ezra eyes the sheets distastefully for a moment before crawling over to it. Kanaan tossed the pillow on his face when he laid down.

"I want to hear your side of the story when we get back," Kanaan stated, "and why you didn't tell us what was going on."

Ezra pursed his lips, but seemed to admit defeat. "I guess."

Kanaan shook his head. He placed the pillow under Ezra, who stared up with glassy eyes.

"Good luck finding the contact." His voice was shaky, but not just from the fever.

Kanaan sighed, guessing at the reason he didn't stay earlier. "We'll be fine. Don't worry, Zeb and I can handle anything that an abandoned field can handle."

The kid smirked at his master. His half-focused eyes didn't quite fit. Hera came in and kicked Kanaan out, telling him to get ready. He only held his hands up in a peaceful gesture, backing out of the room before Hera directed her anger towards him. Poor padawan. He did deserve it, though.

Once Kanaan left, Hera turned her full attention to Ezra, who gave her a nervous smile. She gave him a pointed look and placed her hands on her hips.

"You are going to be the death of me, Ezra Bridger. What were you thinking?"

She rattled on as she handed him a bucket and practically pushed him back down onto the pillow. She placed a cup of water near his bed and took his sheets. His fingers reached for the sheet. He was cold! Please Hera? Swiping his fingers away, she bluntly refused and swept out of the room, sending one last worried glance over her shoulder.

Ezra could finally let the comfort of darkness sweep over him, taking him away to rest and painless-ness.

 **Gracie: They saw the bloody nose because it was pretty obvious. The craft was pretty dark. Also, his leg is under puffy pants. Ezra was out, too, and they weren't really looking for potential problems. Kanaan did notice something was off, but he wasn't too worried about it. He was planning on taking care of it when they landed.**

 **Angel74: Thanks for the advice. :) I was wondering what other people thought of those parentheses. I was undecided about them. Thanks for telling me what I needed to fix. I really appreciate that. Thank ya', hon! Please keep pointing out where I stink!**

 **Thanks to everyone else for all your support! You're wicked awesome!**


	4. 4: People Should Really Listen to Sabine

Kanaan was in his room trying to meditate. _Focus... Breathe in... Breathe out... Breathe in... Breathe out... Focus... Breathe in... Bre-_

 _ **Ezra cowered. Shaking. You promised! Pale. Sweat and blood. Scared.**_

Kanaan blinked and the scene disappeared. His arms were shaking with withheld rage. It would feel _really_ good to punch the wall at the moment. He wanted something to lash out at, _anything,_ really. Give him some work to do, some bucket heads to smash.

Instead, he exhaled through his nose, slowly loosening his fingers. _Control, Kanaan. Control your emotions. They will not control you._ He couldn't help the anger, it came without an invitation. Still, it was hard to shake off.

Someone had hurt Ezra. Badly. Of course, Kanaan had always known that growing up in the streets would come with pain, but he hadn't been expecting... well, _that_. The kid was a powerhouse, but that was only because years of pressure and hardship had calloused and hardened him. Something about the crew and their mission, though, had spoken to him and he stuck around. The crew was just beginning to crack through his hard defenses, seeing the kid inside for who he really was. And it was scary.

Just the thought of someone hurting Ezra made Kanaan's blood boil. Growling, he stood, giving up on meditation. He needed an outlet for his angry energy. Besides, someone needed to scrub the dishes.

It seemed as if Hera had the same idea, too. She was furiously scrubbing a pan coated in burned eggs. She didn't even look up when the door slid open. "Who the freak did they think they- I'd-a shoot them right in the- Oh-ho-ho say goodbye to your future grandchildren if I ever-"

"Don't wear a hole through the dish." Kanaan smirked, grabbing a towel to dry.

"Who the kriffin heck would do that to a kid!" Hera yelled. He noticed she was swaying on her feet, wet eyes staring into the sink.

Kanaan paused, reaching out to steady her.

"Hera, what's wrong?"

She dropped the pan, grabbing the side of the counter as she started to cry. "Didn't you _see_ it?"

 _What the-!_

Kanaan pulled her into a tight hug. The woman wrapped her arms around his neck, hiccuping into his shoulder. Kanaan held her, rubbing small circles into her back. He let her cry on his shoulder. Sometimes, that was just what she needed. After a minute, Hera pushed herself away, rubbing her face with her sleeve.

Kanaan's eyes were wide with concern and confusion. _What did she see? Why is she so unravelled. What's wrong? What_ _ **happened**_ _?_

"Hera," he gently nudged, "what... What did you see?"

She looked up at him, blood shot eyes full of tears. "You didn't see it?"

"See what?"

"I didn't know if you saw, because of your Jedi thing. I just guess I thought- nevermind. I went back to Ezra's room to give him a cold pack, but he was already asleep, so I went to put it on him. But then he started to fuss and he looked scared, so I started to comb his hair with my fingers, and then I checked his temperature and my hands were on his forehead and I- I saw..." She shuddered, looking away.

 _You can't just stop there!_ Kanaan grabbed her hands so she would look at him. "And?"

The twilek started to play with the Jedi's fingers. "It was like I was there. I mean- I wasn't me, but I saw- I saw what Ezra saw."

Kanaan gaped at his partner. "Wait, you entered his memory?"

"I guess," Hera shrugged. Her lip began to quiver again. _Don't start crying on me again_. Kanaan hated it when she cried.

"What-" He began cautiously. He needed to know. "What... exactly did you see?"

She breathed heavily, steeling herself for something horrible. _Oh, no. Not a good sign._ "The first thing that I felt was pain. A _lot_ of pain. It was everywhere, running up my arms and legs, sticking me in the gut, and pulsing through my brain. My- his nose was definitely broken. Next, I saw what was around him. The room was distorted. Ezra was probably really badly concussed. All the lights blended together and objects appeared too far away or too close. It was like seeing the world underwater. He squinted and his vision sharpened, though, and that was when things got really scary." Her voice cracked and she bit her lip. Kanaan squeezed her hand assuredly. _I'm right here._

"Ezra's body was tinier than usual, too, so he was much younger, maybe eight. He was wearing the remains of jeans and a t-shirt. Then I saw- There was blood everywhere. I mean everywhere. There was so much blood. It was on the floor, on the table, soaking through his clothes, in his hair, dripping down his face, clouding his vision."

Kanaan exhaled sharply.

"What hit me next was the fear. He was so afraid. Words can't describe it. His heart pounded, his lungs rattled, his whole body shook. His mind was a terrified mess. The concussion probably didn't help, either. I couldn't figure out why he was so afraid until-" She hiccuped. "Until-" She swallowed.

Kanaan stroked her lekku, waiting for her to calm down a little. _What was it?_ He was confused. What could possibly have caused Ezra to be so hurt and afraid? What would cause Hera to freak out so much?

"I was seeing through Ezra's eyes. There was a man- a huge man. He had long, brown hair and. wide shoulders. His face was blurry, but I could still make out some of his face. His eyes were _yellow_. He was humanoid, but still absolutely massive. His nose was bulbous and his pointy teeth were turned up in a snarl. He seemed to be enjoying what he was doing to-." _Hiccup_. "He held a pole in one hand and there was a bloody knife stuck into the table! He was lunging forward! Ezra was on the ground. He grabbed his shirt. Ezra was so surprised and afraid. He had _trusted_ this man, whoever he was. Now, he thought he was going to die. He was so afraid!" Her chest constricted in a hiccup-sob. She slumped against the table, furious and heart broken.

"What kind of a person _does_ that!" She slammed her fist into the counter.

Kanaan was absolutely furious. He felt hot and light-headed. If he ever even saw a man that faintly resembled what Hera described... Force help him. He would tear that blinkin'-

The door swished open and Sabine immediately regretted not sending Chopper. Kanaan had the counter in a death grip, Hera had tear stains, they were both about to punch something, and Sabine was confused.

"Uhhhhhh, guys?" She stumbled. "You're gonna' want to see this."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It turned out that they weren't heading into an empty field. As the Ghost broke through the cloud cover, a city emerged in the landscape. It was not tall, the tallest building had five stories. The buildings were made out of dirt and metal, but cleverly disguised so that they fit in with the landscape. You would think nothing of it unless you were looking for it.

"Why would a town be under the radar?" Sabine asked. The crew was gathered in the cockpit. Well, everyone but Ezra, that is. He was sleeping like a baby two halls down. Hera looked questioningly at Kanaan, who nodded in affirmation.

"Wha?" Zeb grumbled. "Aren't ya' gonna' let us in on yer little secret?"

Kanaan smirked, turning to Sabine. "The town is not on any maps because it's not supposed to be found."

Chopper beeped beside him. "Yes, Chop," Hera replied, patting the astromech's head. "You're quite the genius."

"So, this is a crime hangout, then?" Sabine retorted. "In that case, are you sure we should go in there? Why would Fulcrum send us here?"

"I honestly don't know." Kanaan replied with a glance at Hera.

"Beats me," she replied. Her eyes were still slightly red, but she was as composed as ever.

"Look, guys. I really don't want to spend any more time than necessary on this mission. We do need to finish the mission, though. In case you haven't noticed, we really need the credits. Zeb and I are going to go meet our contact, then get paid for the crates. After that, we go to Lothal to deal with-"

"I agree," Hera cut him off with a warning look. _They don't know!_

 _Oops._

"Are you sure?" Sabine questioned, fingers drumming on her helmet.

"Aye, lass, ya heard the man." Turning to Kanaan, he lifted his arms. "Come on, get a move on! What'r ya waitin' for?"

Hera smiled and shook her head. "Sabine has a point."

Kanaan crossed his arms. "Haven't we been in worse places before?"

"Yes," was the retort. "And every time, something goes wrong." Her eyes dropped to her lap for a moment before piercing strait through his. "Look, I know that we need to get this done. Just make sure your comms are open the whole time. If _one_ thing is off, and I mean _one thing,_ you call for back up. If the comms go out, I want a flair in the air. If you can," she pointed, "we meet up at the tallest building." It was the five story one, smack dab in the middle of the decrepit town.

"Yes ma'am!" Zeb saluted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

If the outside of the city seemed bad, the inside was even worse. The whole place was a mess of markets, homes, bars, and shops. Often, they were all on the same street, too. The streets were covered in garbage and everything _reeked_. Nothing was clean.

It didn't exactly help that this place was under the radar. Kanaan and Zeb were given the street name, Harrow Lane, and coordinates of the meeting place, which would have been helpful, had there been a map of the city. They resorted to looking for signs and hoping for the best. At this point, it was nearly mid day. Not that that meant the temperature was any better than before. Kanaan and Zeb were glad for the black coats they wore, which also helped them fit in with the crowds. The wind whipped through the streets, though it was not so bad in crowds. Fighting and yelling could be heard on almost every street. Barking dogs, rattling chains, drunk voices, and breaking glass were constant. The paint on every buildings was faded and peeling. The lawns were just dirt or stiff, overgrown weeds. Dust rose in the mid day sun. The chill air nipped their skin and frost coated what little vegetation there was. Still, they wandered. Hostility was characteristic of this place. If they could just find a map!

They stumbled onto a market place. Light streamed through the dusty smog. Stalls straddled the street. The market was actually a series of alleys around a main plaza. The stalls were filled with everything from wires and machine parts to clothing items to food to other household items. The merchants were surrounded by several people at once. The place looked like a fight scene. They squabbled over who got what and for what price. Every once in a while, someone got punched in the face. One man even got shot. The man got his farrow-head for cheap after that.

"Wow," commented Zeb, ears high and twitching. "I neva' thought I would see a man get sho' ova veg-tables."

Kanaan ducked his head. He didn't want to get caught up in any of that. Suddenly, he felt a tingling in his mind. It wasn't exactly to caution... more to just alert him. His green eyes scanned the alleys. He felt himself being pulled toward one. "Stay low, stay close. I think we're getting closer."

#############################

Ezra woke up feeling worse. His stomach had given up on vomiting, though, so that was a start. Groaning, he pulled himself to his feet and shuffled into the halls. Everything hurt, especially his leg. He couldn't let it show, though. He hated to show weakness. _Suck it up, Bridger. This isn't even as bad as the winter a couple years or so ago when it wouldn't stop snowing and you caught Loth rat fever after a storm trooper blasted you and-_

His slightly blurry eyes landed on a splash of color in the middle of the common room. He gave Sabine a half-wave as he entered. His leg hurt like the dickens, but he just grit his teeth and kept walking. This isn't even as bad as the time I fell off the Imp tower.

Sabine eyed him warily through her holochess game. She knew not to treat him any differently, however. That just made everyone angry. Instead, she decided to treat him as she normally would: bluntly, but gently. It was their thing, since they had a special relationship, being the closest in age.

She smiled, watching as he seated himself on the other side of the table. He tried to hide the fact that he was biting his cheek and digging his nails into his hands. She rolled her eyes, leaning forward to start a new game. _So stubborn._ His leg stuck out to the side and he made no attempt to move it.

Moving a piece forward with a flick, she was surprised by the lack of trash talk from the man who always lost. She gave him a half smile as he scrubbed his chin, preparing for his move. _Can he even see the pieces right now?_ "Hey, how are you feeling? I heard you were pretty bad," she gave a grimace, "...and I heard you puking."

His ears turned pink, shocked for a moment before he could mumble out an answer. "Yeah, umm... I'm fine. Thanks." Changing the subject, and putting his piece in the wrong position, he leaned back into the couch. "So, where are Kanaan and Zeb? Did we find the meeting place? I hope they have fun searching a field in this weather." Ezra gave a goofy grin and wiggled his eyebrows. _Sounds like a party._

Sabine shook her head with a half-grin. _There's my goofy partner_. She took out two of his pawns. "Actually, no. The coordinates took us to a city. We don't know which one."

Ezra paused, staring at her with his eyebrows drawn together. _Why wouldn't they know? I mean, the only unnamed one on Lothal, as far as I know, is - Kriff! They would never have-!_ "Fulcrum wouldn't send them there!" Ezra's whispered voice hitched. He felt panic start to rise in the back of his throat. _No! It couldn't be-_ "How don't you know? Didn't you look at a map!?"

Sabine shrugged one shoulder, confusion etching lines into her pretty face. _Why is he-?_ "Yeah, but it wasn't on it."

Ezra's eyes widened in fear. He felt his heart race and his muscles tense. He scrambled up, ignoring and forgetting the pain in his leg as he sprinted to the cockpit. Hera looked up in surprise as the teen barreled through the door. He ran to her side and gripped the console, glaring out the window at the city. _No, no, nononono_...

"Are you okay, Ezra?" Hera reached for his tensed shoulder. His muscles were all tightened, ready to pounce or flee. He didn't even flinch when her hand touched him. Blue eyes zoned out, staring at the decrepit buildings. He wasn't breathing. Sabine ran in, panicking at the sight, and grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to look at her. _What the heck is going on? I knew this was a bad idea!_

"Ezra! Snap out of it!" She practically yelled. There was no anger, only fear. "What's wrong?" What did we send them into?

Ezra gasped. His eyes refocused.

He gripped her arms in terror and a haunted look pierced strait through the mando. His voice was harsh and hoarse and he practically begged. "Please tell me they weren't headed for Harrow Lane."

Sabine paled, Ezra cursed, and Hera didn't have time to stand before he was sprinting down the halls.

##################################

Kanaan and Zeb stalked through the market. They had wandering the decrepit streets, alleyways, and market places for the past few hours and were both getting tired. They knew they would miss the rendezvous soon. So when Kanaan felt his hunch, they both immediately jumped.

They ducked into the alley. At the back, a merchant was free of customers. Various meats hung from racks. Some were fresh-ish, but some were old and left decomposing in the sun. Some were stiff and half-frozen, but brown water dripped to the ground as they melted. _Rotting flesh is a great smell for this place, thought Kanaan. It fits._

The merchant was a sulfur-orange, the width of the tall, and smelled as bad as his products. He wore a long black jacket and a white jumpsuit, which only accentuated his rotund form. His remaining teeth were yellow, brown, and crooked. The man's face ended in multiple chins. Two curly horns were on the top of his head. Four arms, each one ending in talon-like hands, spread as a welcoming gesture. "'Ello, good day, gen'l-men." His voice was as raspy and hoarse as a miner's. The pack sticking out of his pocket enforced the idea. "'Ow may I 'elp you ta-day?"

"We're looking for directions." No nonsense.

"Oh. I see." His dark, greedy eyes flicked between them. "What can you give me for it?"

"Five." _It's barely worth a piece of moldy bread._

The man nodded to himself, weighing the price on his crooked scale. The nodding sped up, sending his chins flapping, and he smiled broadly. "Anythin' fa you, ma frens."

Kanaan fingered the coin, placing his palm down on the stall table. "Where's Harrow Lane?"

The man's eyes widened a hair and Kanaan felt the slightest disturbance of emotion from the man. It passed as quickly as it came.

"That's too easy! E'ry-boh-ey knows where tha' is!" He exclaimed, broadening his rotting smile. Snatching the money from Kanaan's hand, he quickly told the route. His directions were clear enough, though he looked hurried, apprehensive. The vendor looked past Zeb's shoulder, then silenced. Another customer was approaching, so they were shooed away before they could ask questions.

"Stay close, Zeb," Kanaan muttered. He noticed a man watching him out of the corner of his eye. "I don't like the feeling of this."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ezra, what are you-!" Hera cried as he sprinted out of the room, ripping out of their grasp. "...doing." The girls shared a look of mutual fear and confusion before sprinting after him. Even though he was sick, he was already in his room before they reached the hall. They found him digging through a box next to his bed, where a few odds and ends from his tower were. Said things were now being scattered throughout the room. Ducking to avoid a wrench, Hera grabbed Ezra's shoulder, turning him away from his task. His eyes were wild, but somehow calculating at the same time. They crashed like the ocean during a dark storm. But they were clouded, and not just from the fever.

"What is going on?" Hera demanded.

Ezra shook himself away, almost tipping over in the process, digging through his junk again. He was still staying off that leg. It's not in here! Cursing, he dragged himself and his pack up the bunk bed as Hera waited.

"I don't know why in the Emperor's dark heart you went in this place, anyway!"

"Braxtynn sent us the coordinates."

Ezra snorted.

"Ez," Sabine exclaimed impatiently, "care to share any info with us?"

Ezra crouched on his bunk, pushing out his sleeves as a scrwdriver appeared in his hands. "You really don't know about this place? And I thought you knew things about the galaxy."

"This isn't time for teasing, Ez!"

The last bolt dropped into his hand and he slid the tile out of the way. He began pulling out more odds and ends from the hole in the ceiling. _How does he store that much in there, anyway?!_ Sabine thought as she _very_ patiently waited for the boy to kriffin talk.

His apparently found what he was looking for because he began to put everything back in the hole or into his bag. In his hand, he clutched a small metal... mouthpiece? "Well, this city is where all the black market dealers end up." Sabine's eyes widened. _Was he...?_ Seeing Sabine's caring look, Ezra bit his cheek and lowered his head, looking into his backpack before climbing down. "I... Um... Did, too at one point." His eyes flashed with a dark light. _Don't think about it right now. You need to move fast. People are counting on you. Focus on your leg. Ahhhhhhhh-iiiit's working_. Someone was playing with a hammer on his head. Weren't they nice? "I saw all sorts of nasties. There are pickpockets, smugglers, bounty hunters, gangsters, you name it."

He was on the ground, swaying slightly and shouldering his pack. "But the gangs, they're kriffin maggots. The worst, in my opinion, are the Reds. They just don't care about anyone or anything. They would kill pretty much anyone for a couple credits."

"So? There are gangs in a lot of places we have been to, Ezra." Hera calmed. _Why is he so rattled about a gang? It's not like Kanaan is trying to draw attention to himself_. She stepped forward calmly. _This poor kid has been through so much_. Blood flashed in front of her eyes before she shook her head and pushed that away. That wouldn't help right now. Right now, Ezra needed to calm down and rest.

"They are going to be okay, Ezra. It's just the fever talking. You need-"

Ezra laughed, but without any happiness. He turned back around and grabbed a cloak.

"Ez, why is Harrow Lane important?"

Ezra grabbed the ladder for support, trying not to heave. "The Reds are famous for short distance interference and manipulation," he choked out. "They change radio signals and other messages to lure people into their territory. Then, when they get to the ship, they sell everything and everyone for profit. That is, if they don't just kill you on the spot."

Sabine blanched and nearly slumped against the wall behind her. She tried the comm. Static. Hera paled. She felt nauseous. "Oh, karabast!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took them another half hour to find the house. Dogs barked and chains rattled. Men yelled and wood splintered. Oh, the joys.

There weren't any purely residential districts in this city, so they were on some side street about halfway between the outskirts and center of the city. The house was a two story tin can. It was sandwiched between a bar and grocery store. The grocery store was odd because there was hardly any food, but those who walked out carried partly empty paper bags that sagged and bulged at the bottom.

The house itself was neglected and disgusting, but that was no shock. The windows on the sides of the house were little more than holes with bars. The front yard was dirt and the whole area smelled like feces and decomposing garbage. The house itself was dead silent, completely calm.

And Kanaan felt uneasy.

They still had a job to do, though. They needed those credits. The two shared a worried look before walking up the 'lawn.' Frozen dirt crunched under their feet as they made their way to the door. The splintering wooden steps creaked and bent, shifting under Zeb's weight. Losing his balance, he tumbled into the dirt. Kanaan raised an eyebrow, but smirked as he bent to help him.

The smile fled when he noticed several trails of footprints covering the dirt. They were faint, but visible. _Why-?_

Just then, the door flew open. "Welcome, my friends," a deep voice grated. "Quick, come in, come in."

 **So, thanks again to everyone who commented on my last chapter. You guys are the best! Thanks to everyone who questioned and critiqued me. You be da bomb.**

 **What do you think is going to happen next? :o. Tell me what you think!**

 **If you know of any way I can improve this, let me know!**

 **Please review! Also, if you have any Qs I will do my best to answer them.**


	5. Chapter 5: Oh, Teenagers

Ezra reached into the crate once more and threw a black cloak over his shoulder. He turned toward the women, stepping forward and holding out his hand. Sabine noticed that he had a guarded look in his blue eyes. The glint they had when the two were alone together was gone, replaced by cold stoic-ness.

"Stay here," he stated. "I'm going after them." He went to walk past Sabine, but her arm smacked into his chest stopping him.

Her face screwed up in infuriated disbelief. "As if!" she scoffed, looking _slightly_ up at him. _Not that far, OKAY! How the heck did he grow so freaking fast, anyway?!_ "I'm coming with you! What do you think, we're just going to let you-"

"Sa _bine_ ," Ezra pleaded urgently. _The Jedi are calm. The Jedi are impassive._

"Ez!" Sabine stomped forward.

 _Just, please. She doesn't know what we are getting into._

"You don't get it." _Why can't she-_

"You're right! I don't!" She cried.

"It's not safe, Bine-!"

"Oh, as if we're _ever_ safe!"

"This is different!"

" _Sure_! How?!"

"These people are absolute _pigs_!"

"And the Empire isn't?!"

"Why won't you just _listen_ -!"

"I will _not_ take orders!"

"This _isn't_ an order!"

"Then just let me come with you!"

"No!"

"I'm coming anyway!" _Why can't he just say what's on his dang mind!_

"Would you just stop-!"

"Stop trying to do everything alone!" _Why is he_ _ **always**_ _so_ _ **untrusting**_ _?!_

 _What?_ "It's not that-"

"They why won't you let me in? Why are you always so sealed up?!" She poked his chest for emphases. His eyes widened in shock, but he closed himself off again, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I'm not lying to anyone!"

"Yeah, but you never tell the whole truth, either! Why can't I come?! Actually, no! I am coming! But why are you upset about that!"

A wild look entered his eyes. She was not going to listen to him! _What is she- What if they!_

"If they- I've seen-!" Images of his past flashed before his eyes, except she was in them now. _The blood, the hands, the screams, the shots, the women, the bruises-_ He broke. Chocking, and only half in reality, he grabbed her shoulders, pulling her close and crying in desperation, "I can't let you get hurt!"

They were barely breathing. His eyes locked onto her almond ones. Wide eyes stared into each other and neither knew who was more surprised. She saw his fear and his surprisingly open emotions. She could have listed them right there. She was shocked, but still felt really warm. He saw her shock and concern, but there was something else, too. He couldn't quite-

They noticed where they were. They were inches apart, noses nearly touching, and totally unaware of their surroundings anymore. They had been so close to each other the whole time, Sabine on her toes and in his face, nudging him open. They gazed on each other with incredible tenderness. Their faces twitched forward- until Ezra dropped his in exhaustion and shame.

"I-"

Sabine understood him with acute detail, but she still refused to back down. His hands slid down her arms to her elbows, which were bent as her hands touched his chest. _When-?_

Bringing one hand up to his face, she forced him to look at her. He looked so broken. Her heart shattered.

He wanted to look away, anywhere but her lovely face, but she pinned him in place with her knowing gaze. They both breathed deeply now, sighing.

"That's why I need to go with you, Ez." She was soft and gentle. She read his emotions easily; his fear and concern were only too easy to see. Her mouth twitched up on one side the smallest bit. "They probably don't take too kindly to you, either, by how you're acting." Her hands grabbed his shirt, thumping against him for emphasis. "There is _no way_ I'm letting you go without someone to watch your back."

They stood that way for a minute as Ezra melted under her warmth. Then he smiled. Hera felt really awkward, pretending not to watch. _Enough is enough_. She gently kicked a bolt, while clanged across the floor, breaking the silence and their bubble. They broke apart, red-faced and suddenly embarrassed. With a quirk of a brow, Sabine smirked at him while her hand dropped onto her hip, a gesture the teen did not miss. Exasperated, Ezra stared pleadingly at Hera. She just shrugged, a knowing smirk threatening to peek onto her placid face.

"You should have someone to watch your back."

Ezra threw his hands up with a groan. "Do any of how have any regard for _safety_!?"

"No," they agreed.

He huffed. Running his had through his hair, he growled. His hands gestured with every mumbled word. "Fine. Fine, fine, finefine _fine_."

Sabine smirked. Victory again.

"But," Ezra pointed, _at least I have one thing,_ "you need to be inconspicuous. You can't wear that armor. We would be doomed before we started. And no helmet, either."

Sabine glared. "Fine." This was still her victory, make no doubt. Her eyes didn't move from Ez's bright eyes, which were glaring back with equal force. "Hera?"

 _Oh, teenagers._ She did grin. "I've got an extra cloak."

"Does that settle it?" She snarked, head bobbing.

"Oh, don't get sassy with me, 'Bine. This was your idea." Ezra replied as he grabbed her hand, dragging her through the door.

Halfway down the hall, he turned around to Hera, who was opening a closet.

"You may need to get into the city. I have three flairs. I'll give two to Sabine. She has bombs, too, right?" The girl in question snorted. Ezra, to his credit, just rolled his eyes as he continued. The absence of a smirk troubled Hera, though. He was too serious, too scared. She found what she was looking for and stood.

"We will try to be silent, but we will make a huge ruckus if we need to. The Ghost may be needed in order to make a quick getaway, though."

Hera nodded as she tossed Sabine a cloak to match Ezra's. "I've got you covered."

Sabine smiled with a malicious glint in her eyes. She would be lying if she said she wouldn't enjoy this. _Let's go kick some butt_. Throwing the cloak around herself, she bumped Ezra with her shoulder. "Let's go get their sorry butts out of trouble."

Ezra smirked. Hera rolled her eyes. Sabine could change his mood so easily. She even forced him to take a few fever reducers with minimal protest. They jostled down the hallway and out of the craft. When the loading ramp closed again, the Ghost felt cold, hollow, and anxious. Hera sat in the cockpit watching them wade into the tall grass and disappear. Chopper beeped beside her, running diagnostics and swearing, per usual. The grass on Lothal waved back and forth in the chilly breeze. Hera sighed. She was always waiting.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kanaan and Zeb noted the beady eyes of neighbors peering through the windows. Reluctantly and defensively, they followed the man into the house. He was a rodian, no taller than 5'6, which is huge for his species. His skin was the color of bile and he smelled as if he smoked two packs a day. Somehow, though, his deep voice still had strength to it instead of being a raspy whisper.

The air inside was less frigid than the outside, but Kanaan wouldn't call it warm. The inside of the house was pretty disgusting. For starters, it smelled like sweat and body odor. If unwashed teen pits were a fragrance, this would be it. Everything was stained, too. Brown was the predominant color, but there was also sulfur yellow, black-purple, dark red and vomit green. It seemed like a twisted crayon box. The floor was covered in papers, discarded clothing items, old food, and other such waste. It also smelled like actual, literal waste. The walls were similarly stained and peeling. There were holes in some places that looked as if a fist had gone through them, which Kanaan would not have doubted. Old couches lined the walls, but were broken and sagging in places. _What happened here? And why are there so many couches?_ He wondered as they crossed into the kitchen.

The house itself was two stories high and fairly large. There were clearly other rooms on the first floor they weren't being shown. The hall extended in both directions, one way leading to three rooms closed off with doors, the other to what he supposed to be a living room.

The kitchen was as dilapidated as the rest of the house. The stove and counters had all sorts of old food, grease, and food stains. The counters were unfinished wood, which caused them to absorb even more of the odor, grease, ad stains. There were a few appliances, but all were ancient. A cracked, black microwave- _is that even safe?_ \- hung above an electric stove. The microwave and stove were covered in grease and grime, which dripped down the oven, which was once white, but now yellow-brown. There was also a fridge, which was splattered with every imaginable vile substance. Likewise, the once white surface was turned a dark sulfur-brown color. The floor, an odd green tile, was bubbled and warped. It hadn't been swept or washed in decades, if ever. There was one window, above the sink, which sent cool light into the house. The sink was as disgusting as the rest of the kitchen. The bottom was also coated in a thick layer of... something vile.

The kitchen had an small, square table in the middle. It was slightly cleaner, but still coated in grime. There were chairs on three sides. The host took one and invited the two to sit, as well.

The rodian leaned back, quickly assessing the two. "So, you are the one that picked up my shipment." Kanaan shifted to hide his lightsaber better. He had a bad feeling.

Zeb's nostrils flared as he snorted, leaning forward menacingly. "It's 'ardly your's."

The man seemed unaffected, while most would have been intimidated or scared. "Well, regardless, it's final destination is here." He turned to Kanaan as if talking to an old friend. "I've been waiting a long while for you to show up. What took you so long?"

Kanaan eyed the man warily. Something was wrong here. He could feel it. "It's a big city. There are no maps to find you, either. You're lucky we made it here at all."

"Ah, but this is a famous house. Many people know me and travel by here."

"Let's cut tha chit chat!" Zeb growled. _I don't 'ave time fa this bantha fodder!_

The man leaned his elbows on the table. "Ah, strait forward. I can appreciate that." He looked to Kanaan with a glint in his eye. "The shipment, where is it?"

Kanaan felt a twinge of warning. Why did he feel as if he was being toyed with? Wait, the footprints... the stains, the smell, the couches- _Oh, kriff!_

Zeb growled again, clearly done with the man. He was freezing, tired, and worried. Now he was angry, too. His hands tightened into fists as he spat, "We settle on a price, first. Then we deal with the shipment."

"Now Specter Four," Kanaan rambled as he slid his chair back, freezing blood pumping, grabbing the Lasat's back to drag him up. Zeb stumbled up, noticing the man's hard grip. _Tha's unusual._ "Let's calm down. I think that we should go get the shipment, maybe talk with our crew in private-"

The green man laughed with a snarl. "No, I think our purple friend is right. And I have the perfect price: Free."

He whistled as loud as he could. Kanaan and Zeb were already heading for the door. Banging and slamming, boys, teenagers, and young men piled out of the rooms and down the stairs, screaming insults, curses and screeching like animals. Once in the street, the two Specters had nowhere to go. Bodies flooded out of the neighbor's houses as well. Each man was armed with something: a club, a knife, a gun, a blaster. They were trapped, surrounded by a swarm of violent, insane kids with no regards for life, even their own. The green leader broke through the crowd. A sick grin was on his face as he fingered a small hand gun. Those were hard to find.

"Let's go find your little crew, shall we?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ezra did his best to explain the plan as they ran. Sabine was confused, but she stuck to Ezra's side because, well, she trusted him. He didn't tell her why they were being so dang secretive, but she figured there was a really good reason. Ezra seemed to know these people, after all. Hopefully, his relationship with them wasn't what her fears stated they were. If so, this meeting would run a little deadly.

Wind whipped their faces, which weren't even exposed over the frozen grass. They approached the outskirts of the city. When the dirt road that entered it came into view, Ezra grabbed Sabine's arm, pulling her into the tall grass with him. The tall, brittle blades stung as they scratched exposed skin. Sabine glared, but Ezra only gave her that lopsided grin. When that grin was employed, trouble was usually coming. _It said: sorry, not sorry. Oh, and, I also stole your wallet. And your pants._

Still, he was off today. Something glinted in the back of his eyes and his fingers twitched more than a Loth rat at a candy store. His eyes were constantly flicking around and at her. There had been some banter up until they saw the city, but they fell silent soon after.

A metal wall surrounded the city, but it was painted for camouflage. The tall sheets of metal were riveted together all the way around. There were three entrances at the north, south, and west. They were at the east. Ezra still dragged a grumbling Sabine this way.

"If there are no entrances here, how are we supposed to get through?" She huffed.

Ezra began feeling the wall with gloved fingers. "Harrow Lane is on the east side. Also, we don't want," he grabbed the end of a sheet, pulling it back to reveal a small opening. "To be seen." He finished. His hood was up, so Sabine couldn't see his face, but she felt the smirk. They crawled through, only to be hit by another wall. Sabine gagged.

"I can taste it!"

"Well, if you're ever looking for literal bantha fodder-"

"Eew!"

They were in a back alley behind some bar. There was a dumpster, dripping and crusted with black substances, right in front of them. The city was as decrepit as it had seemed. And it smelled. There were sketchy buildings and stores up the deserted street. Sabine glanced at Ezra, waiting for a course of action. _He better know what he's doing._

Ezra stood rigid. _It was here. Years ago. Snowing._

"Hey, Ez," Sabine questioned with her adorable eyebrows knit together.. In his mind, snowflakes swirled around her, sticking to her face and hair. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, shaking himself and grabbing her arm at the sound of footsteps. They took off, then, but did not take the streets for the sake of stealth. They stuck to the rooftops, jumping the short distance between the buildings. The air stung their noses and cheeks as the rushed in the open air. Ezra could feel his anxiety building, as well as his nausea, as they approached the destination. _I should have known I couldn't escape them forever._

Sabine heard the yelling first. Crawling on the roof, they crept to the edge of a firearms store, peering over the edge. Kanaan and Zeb were surrounded by dozens of armed boys. A rodian stood in front of them, seemingly 'negotiating' with them. _Huh_.

Ezra pulled her down beside him, signaling for her to wait. _There are a few more than last time. Nice to know they didn't grow too quickly._

The cold air froze their skin, but their hearts were beating too fast to care. Ezra stared in trepidation at the crowd. There was no way they could just fight them.

Sabine whispered with fear edging her voice. "Ez, how by the Emperor's trousers are we supposed to get them out?"

She watched him turn around to face her. That grin was back. _Oh, no._

"Well, if we can't take 'em..."

"Disgrace 'em," she finished with a wicked grin.

 _There he is._

 **Thanks, IciIchi05. Your comments always make me happy. :). And your smily faces are the bomb!**

 **Thanks to everyone else who commented. Please do it again. P.S. Just to let you guys know, I have been reading the stories of the people that comment, so... Yeah. Have a good week!**


	6. Chapter 6: Shram Litso

**Thanks for all your support, guys. And now, the next chapter.**

Plans are for losers. They agreed on that. Besides, nothing ever went according to plan, so why waste the time? All they needed was a rough outline, which they made. Ezra had nearly puked again making it, so Sabine made him take two more fever reducers. He wasn't that sick anymore, but the fever reducers made him feel 99% normal.

Ezra rubbed his frozen fingers, then picked up his comm device. He unscrewed it, fiddled with the wiring, and put in another network station-thingy. Sabine would know the name.

Ezra reached into his pack. He whacked her with a pair of dark gloves, which she put on with a quirk of her brow. What the heck are we doing this time?

He cleared his throat, flicking up hood and humming some rap song. Sabine tried not to smile at his face and whacked his arm. "Ez, shh!"

Making a face, he pressed the comm button. Ezra was quite the master of voices. This isn't even as hard as the time the Imps captured me and I had to be an old lady...

His voice was deep and gravelly. He had the accent of someone that worked at the Spice mines, which worried Sabine, who clutched the rooftop tighter, eyes flicking between the two scenes. Oh, no.

"Eh, Red Fox. You the'ya?"

Watching the scene below, the teens hugged the edge of the roof. The rhodian had been fingering a small hand gun, but a slightly shocked look crossed his face and he froze. It lasted only a second, but that was enough for the two teens to notice. The green man pulled away from their friends, turning his shoulder slightly towards the young mob.

He hesitated, then tapped his hidden earpiece. The teens leaned towards the comm. Ezra could feel his heart rate speed up again. He knew what this man was capable of and he didn't want to face him again.

"Red Fox here. What can I do for you, Shram Litso? It's been a long-"

"Ay, can it fur soamun' tha' cares!"

The rhodian shut his mouth in shock. Sabine was confused as to where this was going, but she hoped Ez wasn't trying to make the man angry. The idiot probably is, though.

"Vhy are you messing vith my ship-ment?"

"What?"

"Zos peoples you are robbing are my costomures."

Silence.

"I am coming. Ju best return them to may."

The rhodian paled slightly. "We will be here."

The green man turned back around to his men. He yelled a few gutteral words, which they couldn't quite hear, but sounded like harsh basic. The mob of boys walked to the front yard of the house. The just stood there, waiting. The hairs on the back of Sabine's neck stood. The largest two young humanoids walked next to Kanaan and Zeb in the street. Kanaan and Zeb had a tough look, but they could tell that they were scared. The rhodian stood in front. It formed an odd pyramid, one that they had to greet.

Ezra motioned to Sabine to follow him to the other edge of the roof. He slipped off quietly, landing without a sound on the old concrete. Sabine slid her foot off the roof, climbing down after him. She wasn't as good at climbing buildings, but she had her experience, too. He grabbed her under the arms and helped her down silently. They were back in the dark, smokey alley. Ick. Ezra turned to Sabine. His eyes were the brightest thing in that place. He leaned closer to her and whispered. "Walk strait and confident. The name is Blue 9. You need to pretend to have a slight limp with your right leg. Act as if it's an old, healed injury, though, okay? Don't talk unless you absolutely have to. If you do talk, you have to talk like this." His voice changed to one a little like Zeb's, but higher pitched and without so the growling. And slightly whiny.

"Just don't get us killed," she smirked.

"No promises," Ez grinned as he grabbed her hand and led her around the corner. They were thoroughly disguised by their cloaks. No facial feature could be seen and their bodies were like big blobs. He walked with his shoulders out wide and his head held high. Sabine limped beside him with an equal air of confidence. They approached the mass. The rhodian stepped forward to greet them.

The air was thick with tension. The cold wind began to whip by them, fluttering their robes and dropping the temperature even more. The mid day sun hung in the sky, but even it looked as frosty as the glare the green man sent into the hood.

"You know, we would get a pretty penny from these men," he gestured.

"My men," Ez growled back. Dang, she thought. He's pretty convincing.

The rhodian shrugged, disinterested, but there was sweat on his upper lip. Why is he scared of us? Who are we?

"My pay-shunce wears theen."

Kanaan and Zeb were confused, but wore a calm mask, as well. Ezra always respected that about his Master. Sabine just thought they were all crazy.

The rhodian sighed, crossing his arms. Well, Sabine thought, this seems like a dominance battle. Perfect.

After a few seconds, the rhodian shrugged. "I don't think they're worth much, anyway. Hic, Stew."

The two humanoids guarding their friends pushed Kanaan and Zeb forward. Zeb eyed them warily.

That was pretty easy. Ezra thought as the gang began to trickle slowly away. Who'd have thought that something actually worked for on-

Static crackled on the rhodian's earpiece. A voice broke through loud enough for the crew to hear.

"So, Red Fox, when can I expec'anudder ship-ment from you?"

Kriff.

 **BTW, Shram Litso is scar face in Russian according to Google Translate. Hope you liked the chapter. R + R. Man, do I want coffee.**


	7. Chapter 7: Fresh Out of Miracles

**Thanks for the coffee, Midnight Luna! You are such a bae! (I get super wicked hyper when I drink coffee, like the squirrel guy from Over the Hedge. It's bad, hon, but I feel all happy and jittery! It's awesome! My brother tries to take the coffee away, tho... What a turd.)**

 **Ichichi05 : Yeah. Sucks to be him, right?! He's so adorable, too.**

 **: You're kinda onto me. (This is so exciting! :D ) I'm not just sticking to gangs, though. ;)**

 **Thanks to everyone who has faved or followed the story! Thanks even more to those who commented! I should make you all cupcakes...**

The rhodian's mouth dropped open in rage.

 _Kriff! Kriff!Kriff!_

"Run!" Ezra murmured, grabbing Sabine's hand and pushing Kanaan's shoulder. "Runrunrunrun!" They took off down the street as Red Fox howled behind them. Dust rose up under their feet. Clouds started to gather in the sky and Ezra could smell rain, or snow, depending on the temperature. You know, if it was a degree under or over. He tasted iron and bile, but pushed it down. The cold air whipped past their faces. Red Fox screamed orders as they sprinted down the street.

 _We are so kriffin' dead!_

Somehow, Zeb was still confused. _Typical_.

"Who in Vader's black socks-" Zeb started.

"This is not the time for stupid questions!" Sabine screeched, ducking a blaster shot that singed her hood. _Stop being an idiot!_

Ezra rolled his eyes. _Oh, Zeb._

The Reds regained their senses and shot at the group, spilling out of the house in pursuit.

Hundreds of bullets whipped towards them. The four dodged, flying behind the nearest buildings... in two different directions. Sabine grabbed Ezra and they slammed into the cold metal of a bar, the tough regulars looking out the door with mild interest. The teens grunted as they made contact. Ezra dove behind her, so her head hit his chest, but his head hit the wall with a crack.

His vision went blurry around the edges. He pushed away the nausea as Bine tugged him up by the arm. Zeb and Kanaan stood at the other side of a dirt alley, where they had slid to a stop. _Lucky them._

His eyes widened. _Hera's that w-... Oh, fodder_.

The teens were cut off from escape.

Although they fired back, the gang was still overrunning them. If either dared to cross the gap, they would be fried. Sabine looked at Ezra as a silent agreement passed between them. They nodded.

 _Are his eyes unfocused?_ Sabine thought as she readied the flare.

"Spector One!" Ezra yelled. Kanaan turned wards the voice, ducking behind the wall. "Spector Two is coming! Meet her at the rendezvous. Then, come get us!"

Ezra looked Kanaan in the eye and he nodded. Through their bond, Kanaan felt a push. _Go_. He said. _Hera's that way. Don't worry about us. It's the only way._

Kanaan sighed. He knew there was no way the teens could go with him at the moment. They had to run.

 _You'd better not get yourself killed!_

 _No promises,_ the teen smirked.

"Where will you be?" _How will I find you?_

A flare went off behind the teen, who smiled widely at his frowning master.

 _Oh, no._

"North pole!" He shouted, smirking, before throwing a small object towards the mob, now only ten feet away. A colorful explosion shook the air, pushing the man farther into the alley.

 _Son of a bantha..._ Kanaan thought as the teens ran away through the smoke. He and Zeb disappeared into the dark maze of streets, pursued by the frenzied mob.

Sabine fired the flare, then turned to Ez. She grabbed his hand, dragging the surprised teen away will a shout of surprise. They ran. To Sabine, everything blurred together. There were markets and stores and alleys. They pushed through crowds of people and ducked punches. A few times, Ezra grabbed her hand and spun her in a different directions. A few times, she made sure he didn't wipe out.

He stumbled on his own feet. Something was up with him. Was it the fever still?

Ezra was getting painfully sensitive to the light and noise around him. He squinted, trying desperately to remember the streets he had tried so hard to forget. Every part of his brain screamed _get away!_

His spine tingled. Swallowing bile, he grabbed Sabine's waist, hoisting her up to the rooftops . She flipped up, then reached her hand down for him.

The force was never wrong, of course, and a group of Reds came rushing out.

He grabbed her hand, hopping up after her. _Special skills._

Ezra didn't know how long they ran. All he knew was that his thoughts were not together anymore. He could barely make a coherent sentence. His leg hurt. It would feel really good to take a nap. _Just think... The streets... This Niner's roof... Backalley leads to slomber town- LEFT!_

Sabine thought it was about fifteen minutes. They were almost at the north exit to the city. They had to take a very long, haphazard direction because of, you know, _the freaking gang chasing them!_ Sabine's miracles had been keeping them at bay, but they couldn't shake them, no matter how many crowds they pushed through. And they only had one miracle left.

They leaped off another rooftop, landing without a hitch. The north exit was in sight! The mob was three rooftops back! They kept themselves back because of fighting and stepping on each other's feet. The Ghost _must_ be close.

Ezra's spine turned cold. He twisted his feet into a skid to slow down. A young man popped up over the wall, slamming onto the rooftops. A sick grin twisted on freckled his face. Red hair and a beard. His cruel, muscular body was tensed, arms out and pointed. A blaster hummed in his hands. _Pointing towards Bine._

Time slowed. Ezra saw the first drops of the downpour. They were both panting. The face terrified Ezra. Memories flooded up. His own heart chocked him. _The Twilek. The serum! His fist! The blood!The water-!_

Almost on instinct, Ezra leapt to the side, tackling Bine to the ground under him. The shot echoed as the skies opened on them. Pain shot up through his stupid left leg again. He grit his teeth, rolling with Bine until they hit the wall. With his head. Again. He was such a genius. Sabine chucked a miracle over them, causing them mob to jump back a few feet.

Last one.

 _We're fresh out of miracles._ She thought grimly.

The rain cut through the smoke, drenching them instantly. The wind chased away any remaining, freezing the teens instantly.

They were stuck. The crowd was on one side, twenty were on the other.

 _At least Blaster is only on the roof_... Sabine thought. _How can I get us out of here?_

 _If only Ezra could move._

Ezra's head pounded and he nearly forgot where he was for a moment. He felt part of him getting warm and wet. Rain soaked him and someone was beside him, or were they pressed against him? Are we on the roofs still?

The pain brought him back just as a small, red disk landed, beeping inches from his face. He barely had time to shove the metal filter into her mouth before it detonated.

 _Hissssssssssssss_...

Ezra held his breath, squeezing his nose between his hands. The red gas surrounded them. They closed their eyes as the burning gas crept across their skin. It hurt, but they were not stupid enough to breathe or open their eyes. Ezra's lungs began to throb, but he suppressed the urge to suck in air. I just might pass out soon. Pain shot through his lungs and into his head. He would not breathe. He would sooner pass out. That is, until the blaster went off.

Right into his _**stupid kriffin**_ leg.

Had it been anywhere else, it might not have happened. But after all this, there was just too much pain from the wound. He gasped, instantly hating that reflex. His mouth burned. His throat was on fire. His lungs screamed in pain. He felt the tissue blacken, dying. This gas could rupture the throat. He gagged, coughing and scratching at his throat. _Pain. Hurts._ He tried not to breathe, curling into a ball with his nose pressed against his body. His lungs shook, both trying to gasp air and struggling to exhale the poison. He shoved his flight suit into his mouth. He chocked himself with the fabric, but the gas was no longer rushing into his lungs.

After an eternity, someone yanked the fabric from his mouth. He coughed and sputtered, drool and vomit coming out of his mouth. Of _course_ sulfuric acid was a nice way to heal his throat. Tears blinded his already blurry vision. He felt a hand rubbing his back. Ezra heaved a final time, then shuddered as oxygen filled his lungs once again. It was so cold. And wet. And blurry.

He felt the rain drum his soaking his clothes and saw the dark scene as he shakily sat up, Sabine still next to him. Actually, to tell the truth, Sabine hoisted him up. He was still in shock, but the rain and wind woke him up quickly. He tugged at his hood. _Still up._

He looked up. The fuzzy group was shocked that they were not dead yet. He smirked, then glanced around.

It was darker because of the storm clouds. It was pouring hard. The rain thundered down and lightning cracked. Or, at least he assumed it was lightning. He didn't see it, though.

The rooftop was an odd color, but it looked familiar. It was a thatched roof. Few were in this city. The wood was warped, so Ezra could slip his hands between the boards. There was a bucket, a rake, and an old basket just a few feet away. Sabine glanced at him with worry, reaching for her blasters.

The gang slowly approached from the nearest housetop, but the wood protested, groaning and shifting and cracking. They jumped back.

Ezra tried to sit up, but his hand got stuck in a gap.

He smiled. _Wait a minute... Are we- here?_

Ezra shifted beside her. Sabine heard the hum of an aircraft.

 _We might actually get out of this!_

The mob heard it, too, though. Four of the largest jumped across on one side, carefully choosing their steps. For some reason, trigger happy stayed still on the other.

Bine shuffled next to him, grabbing the rake. She grabbed Ez's arm and they slowly stood. Her hood hung around her neck, her face exposed and dripping in the downpoar. He almost buckled after placing pressure on his leg, but he grit his teeth and leaned heavily against her and the rod.

 _Can I pass- ye?_ He thought as black spots danced in his vision.

Sabine's mind was spinning, formulating escape plans that kept ending in their death. She noticed blood oozing down Ezra's cloak. The rain spread it all over the roof.

 _Karabast_.

Ezra just needed a second. And an opening. He just needed to get over there! His mind was mush, but he was feeling worse and worse by the second. They were so close! They couldn't lose now.

Two dark figures appeared in his peripheral vision. _Clever girl._

The four were just ten feet away. Mr. Blaster stood at the other side of the roof. Twenty others were on the house behind him. The ginger, with his curly hair sticking to the side of his face, was right next to where Ezra needed to be. His stomach dropped. _Were so shrewed._ His mind slurred.

 _It is officially freak out time!_

Sabine saw the Ghost hovering a few houses down _. If they shoot, we're dead._

Of course, the maniacs saw it, too. "Grab the girl," Ging snarled.

 **Poor Sabine :(**

 **She's just trying to keep everyone from being blown to bits.**

 **Reviewing makes me happy, which makes me want to write more, which gives you more to read! Seriously, though, I want to know if you are liking what you read. So, you! Yeah, you! Reading this right now! Please tell me what you think. Good/bad/ugly? Other?**

 **Also, if you have been concussed, tell me what the worst thing is about it. Thanks! Love you, hon!**

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 **{_:_;_} {_:_;_} {_:_;_} {_:_;_} {_:_;_} {_:_;_}**

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 **Take a cupcake, love.**


	8. Chapter 8: Let's Make Our Own

**Please tell me someone got my Jurassic Park reference last chapter! XD**

 **My goodness, formatting does not want me to make cupcakes! :(**

 **Jewelie-chan: Hopefully it doesn't make you a bad person b/c I want to see it, too. Thx + you too, gf!**

 **: Dastardly soul, you. ;)**

 **Ichichi05: Thx! You deserve some serious credit for all the encouragement you give writers.**

 **Midnight Luna: Oooooh! I like it! Just not how you would think... :)**

 **Guest: Too legit to quit!**

 **P.s. I made minor detail changes to the previous chapter. You don't have to read it again, but if something seems a tad off, just roll with it. I suck. I know. Sorry.**

 **Let's begin, ducklings!**

Ezra's mind was far from functioning. Everything was blurry, he was wet and freezing, his head hurt like the dickens, his throat burned, he wanted to puke, and he was pretty close to passing out.

But as soon as they brought her up, it didn't matter.

 _No! Anything else, please!_ He prayed. He knew them. He knew what they did. He was desperate. Cold fear shot through his bones. Something deep inside him flared up. If this was an adrenaline high, then it was intense.

 _Time to make our own miracles._

He was acting with something simply ingrained in him.

 _It's time these bastards get what they deserve._

Ezra reached to the Force. Strength was the answer. A warm awareness spread from his head. He couldn't even feel his pain anymore.

He felt peace, yet still retained his personality and emotions.

 _You_ _ **will not**_ _hurt her._

He glanced at Sabine reasuringly.

 _At least the galaxy has a strange sense of humor. They still haven't seen my face._

In the bloody, cold rain, Ezra Bridger dropped the rake. _Play time's over, boys._

His old friends could not believe what they were seeing. Sabine couldn't either. _Wait, is that blood on his hood?_

Somehow, his cloak still hadn't fallen off. He rose to his full height, stretching out his shoulders. Blood and water poured down his body with the thundering drum of the downpour. He strode forward, limping slightly on his right leg. Confidence to the point of cockiness was the effect. He spread his arms open wide towards the crowd, turning to address them all at once.

He smirked, throwing every sarcastic, bitter syllable in their faces.

"Now what would you want with her?"

The crowd murmured. _How is he- Shouldn't he be dead? What's up with him? Who_ _ **is**_ _that?_

Sabine noticed that his speech was slightly off, though he talked slowly to cover that up.

Triggers took a step forward. Sabine's hands twitched towards her guns, but Ezra glanced at her.

 _Wait_. He wanted to fight more than anything, but they were too outnumbered at the moment. And if they found out that he was a Jedi... They had the tech and resources to get him in a _**lot**_ of trouble.

The two side figures slowly inched forward.

 _If you were going to ambush us, you could have at least_ ** _tried_** _to be secretive._

"I say we shoot him, take the chick, and be done with all this fodder," Ginger growled. The group seemed unconvinced. They shuffled, but obeyed their leader. A few jumped the gap between the houses. Gingy stood with four others, now.

 _Aw, how cute! He has himself a squad._

"Oh, but I know you'll find me _far more intereth-ting._ " Ezra promised, twisting one arm in front of himself like a magician.

Ginger snorted, flicking his hand sideways. "I sincerely doubt that." He looked amused, fingering his blaster.

A blue humanoid with biceps the size of Ezra's thighs strode forward. Sabine flinched behind him. _What are you_ _ **doing**_ _?_

"You're alwayth doubting, Fireflies."

The man's head snapped up.

The cloak fell in a sopping heap to the ground as the rain lightened.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _An older teen punched the small boy in the stomach. He fell to the ground, but bounced back up with an elbow to the jaw._

 _"You piece of fodder! I'll make sure you never get up again!"_

 _A fist met his bright eyes, throwing him into the brick wall. The kid had spunk, he would give him that._

 _"Knock it off! What'th your beef, you fat faithed loother!?"_

 _The older teen glared, walking forward menacingly. He crouched down to the kid's level. He was wiry and bruised. Blood dripped down from his face and the back of his head, which had been dragged on the ground to get to this alley. A large bruise was already forming around his eye. He was a tough one. He might even live._

" _The point, loth rat, is that you took something that was mine."_

 _The kid reeled back. His face scrunched up in a glare._

 _"Tha wath thome-one! Not thome thing! She wathn't yourth, eeder! Thico! That'th a livin' perthon!"_

 _The kid went weightless, lifted pff the ground by the fromt of his ragged shirt. He kicked, but was slammed into the wall, pinned by the man's arm. He leaned in close, hissing at the kid._

 _"Listen here, you insignificant piece of ton ton fodder. That was my_ _ **property**_ _, but that was no person. They were_ _ **mine**_ _and were_ _ **mine**_ _to do what I want with. You are tiny and_ _ **worthless**_ _and weak. Next time, you better realize who's bigger than tiny little Red Runt. I doubt you'll ever have this problem aga-"_

 _He was cut off by a swift kick to the groin. He doubled over, dropping the kid and letting out a rather high pitched wheeze. The kid scrambled away, but not before another humanoid grabbed the back of his collar, lifting him up again._

 _Freckles looked the kid in the eyes before punching him back. "I doubted that even you were stupid enough to do that."_

 _The kid glared back with all the hatred he could muster, his swollen, blue eyes glazed over and red. "Don't you doubt me, Fireflies."_

 _Smack._

 _His head flew to the side, a red hand print matching the other marks._

 _"Dragon fire, fodder head."_

 _With a flick of his fingers the boy was dropped unceremoniously to the ground. He struggled to get up or away, but the humanoid held him in place, pushing down on his back._

 _"You better learn to respect those with more power. Namely me."_

 _He kicked him in the ribs and he stayed down, head bowed against his chest._

 _The teen almost counted this as a victory until he spat a red glob onto his foot._

 _Outraged, he turned with murder in his eyes._

 _"Deal with him!" He nearly yelled, stepping back. The humanoids turned towards the kid smiling. Metal flicked out or cruel hands. The screams could be heard from a mile away_.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kanaan watched with horror and pride as Ezra dropped his cloak, staring down the leader with intense hatred and honor. The drizzling water slid off his face and hair. The red head looked absolutely floored and infuriated.

"Red _Runt_!" He screeched.

 _Time to intervene._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Say goodbye to your future grandchildren,_ Ezra thought. He leapt forward, squeezing out water from the saturated fabric on the guy's shoulders. He kneed him in the groin as hard as he could. The bastard was tough. When he doubled over, the man reached _into_ Exra's blaster wound, hooking it with his kriffin fingers. He gasped and collapsed. He hit the wicker rooftop with a grimance, but he wasn't upset.

Sabine fired her blasters, cursing, and the groups lunged forward.

 _Leave it to men to mess up your perfectly logical plans._

The two figures joined in, too. Kanaan redirected the shots, firing his own in return. Zeb snuck behind the red head's group, slamming a few heads together. He did his very best to inflict as much pain as possible.

 _Well, some'one gotta do et._

Kanaan looked at the swarm, unable to move or make much of a difference.

 _Ezra_! Kanaan called. _Distraction, please?_

He could feel the smirk. _Oh, I've got you covered._

Fireflies was wheezing, doubled over on the ground. Dodging the humanoid's punch, Ezra reached down the wood, drawing up his well hidden stash. Then, he tossed it away.

A hot, fiery explosion shook the air. The group was thrown to the ground or streets below. The blast destroyed the roof of the adjacent house and a small portion of the thatched building fell off with a groan, dragging some people down with it. The event threw everyone off balance for a moment. Well, almost everyone.

Ezra scrambled out from under the humanoid, grabbing Bine's hand and dragging her to safety as the roof slanted and collapsed. Kanaan jumped to the Lasat, who grabbed the Jedi's hand in time to pull him to safety. While the others were thrown haphazardly, they pushed past the remaining few, sprinting towards the descending Ghost a few roofs away. There was safety, there was warmth, there was security, there was forgetfulness.

Ezra stumbled along, gritting his teeth as his strength left him. He gasped, finally feeling the effects from this escapade. He was on fire. The Lasat had to help the kid. Ezra couldn't run with them, so he shoved him along. _Gotta let the kid retain some dignity._

The air turned hot behind Ezra. He felt pressure hit his right shoulder. Then, his skin was sliced and ripped, searing pain shooting through his right side.

With a beep, metal dug into his muscle. He stumbled a roof away from the hovering safety, slipping on water and slamming into the edge. As he yelled, the others skid to a stop. Kanaan turned to the regrouping attackers, firing and signaling Hera urgently. He felt the kid's pain and panic. Zeb grabbed whatever he could see, throwing it to scatter the attack and knock some out of play and to the street below. Sabine ran to him, sliding to a stop and hands at the ready. His breathing was panicked and erratic. He scratched wildly at himself, trying to reach the wound.

"Get it out! Get it out! Take it out!" He cried, eyes glinting in pain and fear.

She pushed him against the wall, his arm across his face, and very aware of those behind her. Kanaan swore, trying to hold the attack at bay. Zeb would run out of things to throw.

Sabine tore away the orange fabric, analyzing the wound below. The skin had ripped and torn in a web of blood around the point of entry. She could tell that it went in several inches, a slanted bulge in his tissue. They had planted a device the size of a roll of quarters in him. A red light shined in the gushing wound. _A tracker_ , she realized.

"Tear it all out, Bine!" He shouted, clearly in pain, handing her a pair of pliers he slipped from his pocket. "All of it!"

Grabbing the pliers, she used them to grab the device, which was shaped like a long cylinder. She pulled. Ezra bit down hard on his other arm, yelling into it as he gripped the roof, actually cracking it. Only half came out. It detached, and she heard a click. And another sound. One that she heard at the doctors as a kid. An injection. Ezra's body relaxed, slumping forward.

 _Not good, not good. Not good!_

She used the pliers to rip out the rest of the device, which had a metal anchor at the end that pinched the muscle. It was too late, though. A needle stuck out, a drop of yellow still inside.

The Lasat threw his last object, then turned to Kanaan.

"I'm out!"

Kanaan looked back with his calm, collected face, but clearly distirbed at the sound of the kid's yelling.

"Then let's get out of here!"

Zeb took three strides, reaching them and scooping up Ezra as easily as a small child. His eyes were glazed over, but he looked scared.

"Um sorry," he slurred, panic lacing his voice. "Fur wha-ever ...- boutta doo."

His eyes flashed and coiled in on himself with a gasp. The Lasat and Mandalorian stared in shock and fear.

Kanaan yelled. They sprinted to the next rooftop, dodging bullets as Zeb hauled the kid to safety, his head bouncing limply against his arm. Hera fired at the mob. "Go!" Kanaan urged, covering them as the py jumped on the loading ramp. He swung up after them as the ramp was raised. The door closed hiss a hiss and Hera booked it, the city fading into the background.

 **I'm so sorry. That got really dark really fast.**

 **If you have any suggestions or questions or tips, say so in the comments. I have a question for you, too. How do you write an action scene well?**

 **If you have any suggestions for something in Ezra's past or some villainous names, please say so. (Not that I'm out of ideas. I'm far from that.)**

 **Also, the concussion question still stands.**

 **See ya later, love.**


	9. Chapter 9: Out of Control

**Guys, I am sorry this took so long. I had summer work that needed to be done, though!**

 **Btw, I drew a cool pic of Sabine. Should I put it as a cover photo? How would I do that?**

 **Thanks and enjoy the chapter. :)**

 _Dang it! I'm always freaking waiting!_

Hera jumped into hyperspace the second she could, but it wasn't nearly soon enough for her.

 _Can't you go any faster?_ She sucked in the dusty, metallic air, growling in frustration. Her gloves itched under sweaty fingers, wanted to be down that hall where she was needed. Of course, first she had to make sure that the ship wasn't blown to bits, or they would all be in trouble.

Hera leapt out of the pilot's seat as soon as the ship jumped. Her heart was pounding and she had a sick feeling in her gut. Regret and fear made her want to puke. We shouldn't have gone there. The rest of the crew was below, but she could hear shouting from the med bay echoing down from the first floor. It was a nightmare.

She sprinted down the hall as cold sweat dripped down her back. Her chest heaved and all she could feel was the cool air rushing over her hot skin. _Oh, Ezra. Why is it always Ezra?!_ Another shriek cut strait through her like a chilling knife. _Oh, Ezra! I'm so sorry!_

 _Please, be okay!_

Hera knew how cruel the empire was, but she didn't know these enemies at all, nor what they were capable of. Ezra knew, though. He had the bejebees scared out of him when he saw the city. The unknown fear put her on edge already, though, because there wasn't much that scared the kid that badly anymore.

All she knew now was that Ezra was hurt. Badly. When he commed her, Kanaan's voice was panicked and shaky. He was supposed to be the calm one!

And shouting from the med bay was never a good sign.

 _This all sucks!_

She grabbed the ladder and slid down, feet barely touching the cold floor before sprinting again. The shouting got louder. She was one hall away. Why were there bloody tracks on the floor? Red liquid dribbled on and streaked the ground in some places. There was a large splatter on the wall, as well.

Oh, karabast!

Ezra was unintelligibly wailing something. _Hang on, my little rebel!_ Kanaan and Zeb's disgruntled voices tumbled through the air. Ten more feet. Hera grabbed the doorway and spun into the bright, white room. Time seemed to slow for a moment and she could hear her boots hitting the ground with each step.

It was chaos. The first thing she saw was Ezra. _Thump_. He looked half dead. Blood dripped down his face. His shirt had been partially torn off, exposing his upper chest. There were red scratch marks, minor scrapes, and a particularly bad wound gushing on his shoulder. The most frightening things were the scars. _Thump_. Big, jagged white lines crossed his tan skin. He tore at them with his fingers. _Thump_. The teen was thrashing and wailing like a caged animal. He was as pale as a ghost on Mustafar. Hera felt sick as she gripped the smooth doorway. She could smell the iron in the air. Ezra was certainly making it hard on himself, too, as he screamed his voice hoarse. _Thump_.

Zeb and Kanaan were trying to hold the teen down on the bed, but he was thrashing and struggling so intensely that they were having a hard time of it. Chop was preparing the equipment and Sabine was running some sort of scan at the other side of the room. _Thump_. She released the doorframe and slid towards the bed.

Ezra had other plans. He kicked Zeb and wriggled away from Kanaan, who lost his grip with a curse, his face panicked and eyes wide.

 _Great_.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I thaid let goooo!" Ezra wailed, voice slurred and distorted. His limbs flailed uselessly around, clumsily and violently thrown in every direction. He did have some lucky hits, though. Zeb nearly doubled over when Ezra sharply kicked him just above his waist. Maybe not completely useless. Who knew the kid could pack such a punch, even in his condition? Most of his thrashing was weaker than it could be, but he still made it really hard to be controlled.

Kanaan hated the way his chest was red wide wet blood and rain. He hated the way gravel and dried blood felt as it chafed their skin. He hated holding his padawan down as he screamed in panic, thinking his own master was going to kill him.

"Knock i' off, kid!"

Kanaan grit his teeth and dug his feet into the floor. They'd had one heck of a time getting him in here. And getting a blood sample. Panic and fear seemed to make the kid gain the strength of several men. It would be easier if they didn't have to keep him from hurting himself, too. The kid was so confused that any time Kanaan reached through the force, Ezra began attacking himself. He had tried to calm him down, but Ezra just began clawing at his face and chest, ripping his gashes open even more. _Perfect_.

"Oh, tho you wamme ta make it eathier, huh? You thure like _eathy_!"

Kanaan pushed his padawan's chest back onto the bed. The kid hissed in pain, momentarily paralyzed as he gasped at the ceiling. Kanaan winced, but held him there for a moment. _Sorry. I'm sorry, kid. Just calm down._

"Kid, you're safe. You're back with us-"

"Thafe, huh!? Jus'like ya tol' Tiffy, right? Thove it up your exhautht ven', you drunk!"

 _Wait, what?_

Kanaan knit his brows together. _Who-_?

"Kid," the Lasat half-snarled. "Pull yourself together. That's Kanaan, I'm-"

"Shut it your fodder-brained griffinl-loo!" He slurred. "You two make a lov'ly couple. How did you two find each other? Wath it through yur 'buthiness'?"

"Snap out of it-". The smell of iron was driving Kanaan crazy. _How the heck did this happen?_

"And where am I?" His eyes were terrified and scrunched together, but his face was angry and defiant. His wide, blue eyes were clouded and bloodshot. "Where'd you take me? Where'r my frien-th?!"

"Kid-" Zeb started. The teen kicked him in the groin. Kanaan lost his grip; he was like a wet, blood greased pig. Ezra nearly escaped, but Hera slid into the room and pushed him back down with a small thud. _Always the gentle one._ The kid gasped, but thrashed and tried to wriggle away from Hera's sturdy grip. _Thank the Force, for Hera._ Third time today.

"Let go of me, you thlime ball! Isn't it -" gasp" nnaafff ta just lemme go?" He tried to glare cross eyed at Zeb. "You left me in the firs' place, fodder brain! Wha'r you comin' back for?"

Hera nearly got kicked in the face, but she pinned his legs under her. He let out another scream at no one in particular. He threw his head and chest around violently as Kanaan and Zeb grabbed his shoulders and pushed him onto the bed.

Ezra threw his head up and caught sight of Hera. Kanaan noticed his heart was going a mile a minute and his face was dripping. Ezra seemed shocked and scared. His body went limp, listlessly jerking and twitching as his wide, unfocused eyes pierced right into Hera's. His voice sounded broken and betrayed. "Tiffy?" Drops of water dripped from his hair onto the sheets. "Why're ya helpin' them?"

Hera melted. Her eyes opened wide in shock and sadness. Her mouth opened slightly and her face jerked back as if slapped.

Kanaan hated seeing his Padawan so broken and hurt. _He just can't have anything easy._ Why was it all so cruel? What was happening? Who was Tiffy?

He couldn't take that look of fear on his face any more. Kanaan had enough. It was time to get to the bottom of this. The kid was going to hate him later, but he needed to know what was up so this never happened again.

 _Of course, if he had just told me, none of this would have happened. He's a stinker._

"Ezra."

The kid's head snapped towards him. His eyes were unfocused and nearly crossed. _Come on, buddy._

"Do you know who I am?" He made sure his voice was deep and even. _Take the bait._

Ezra snorted. Hera glanced at him, caution written in her eyes.

"Do you know who I am?" Kanaan repeated. The kid's muscles shifted under his skin and violence flashed across his face. He wanted a fight. Kanaan felt the force swirl around him with a thrum.

Ezra glared with cold hatred. "I could never forget a traitor like you. Not after what ya di'ta yur wife and baby."

Kanaan went cold. He saw Sabine go rigid. She filling a needle across the room.

 _Almost done. Help Ezra. We will deal with this later._

"An' do ya remember me?" Zeb asked, catching on.

The kid turned his head to glare into the Lasat's uncommonly sensitive eyes. "I don' foget people who try to le-eave you in the sewer to die." His voice hitched as his chest arched. He was just jerking a bit now. _Keep him calm. Almost done. He will be fine._ Kanaan didn't dare loosen his grip, though.

The teen's breathing was labored and he gasped with every breath. He blinked rapidly, trying to stay awake. He'd lost a lot of blood because there was no way to bandage a writhing bantha.

Sabine cautiously approached. Kanaan motioned for Zeb to distract him more. _Just a little longer, kid._

"Wha' 'bout my business?" Zeb asked in a hoarse scowl.

The teen snorted. "The bar? And, of course, the 'thide busineth'. Ya think I could foget?" Blue eyes narrowed to slits. "I'd think even you would remember thelling people."

Sabine hovered by the Jedi. _Now!_

Kanaan held the teen steady as she lunged, needle drawn. She injected it into his neck so fast he didn't have time to react. Howling, he flung himself around, but the four others held him down. _One_. The kid's eyes opened wide and he clawed his neck. _Two_. He kicked Hera off and threw himself against Zeb. Sabine jumped- _Three_. -and landed on his legs, forcing him back onto the mattress with Kanaan, who pushed his wet chest. _Four_. A swipe to the face gave Kanaan a bloody smudge, but the teen was loosing strength. _Five_. Zeb and Kanaan easily pinned him down as Sabine sat on his legs. Hera held his feet. _Six_. His eyes crossed and he arched his back, gasping. _Seven_. He jerked violently a few times, but couldn't move because his crew had him securely down. _Eight_. His eyes rolled up and closed, but his body jerked against Kanaan's strong arms. _Nine_. The kid lay back, twitching sligtly, but otherwise completely still.

Kanaan stared at his padawan as they all shakily stood back. Hera and Sabine busied themselves hooking him up to IV tubes. Zeb sat down in a chair.

Ezra was covered in blood. He had blaster, shrapnel and head wounds. Kanaan grabbed the bacta and began to patch him up. Something about this was really freaking him out. The scars were the weird part, he decided. No one had ever seen any part of Ezra's chest before, but they hadn't expected it to be a web of scars.

 _The shoulder is the worst. Deal with that first._ The Jedi pressed a cloth against the bloody hole. The teen jerked away with a gasp. His skin was cold to the touch and wet with rain water and blood. A perfect combination, really. _How do you always get in so much trouble?_

Kanaan rubbed his gritty hands on the sheets, which were now a nice red. He stared at them with tired eyes.

 _This happened because he was saving our skins_. Guilt ate at his insides and he wanted to punch something, anything, in frustration. _We should never have gone there._

He breathed deeply. That was not the Jedi way. Only calm, level headed thinking and care would help the kid. The teen. His padawan.

Hera was shaken up, they all were, really, as she spoke to Sabine. Kanaan missed the question, too preoccupied with his thoughts. Her voice broke the heavy silence as they stared at the twitching, blood stained mess in front of them.

"Sedative," Sabine said, a slight shake to her voice. "It should work for the next hour or so. By then, he should be better." She smiled briefly at Hera. "They gave him one heck of a drug."

"So tha' was wha' made him go all crazy?" Zeb asked, leaning forward in his seat.

Kanaan sighed. He was numb.

 _Were we imagined, or were we memories?_

Sabine shook her head and Hera grabbed a cloth. She walked over to the kid and gently began cleaning him off. Chop rolled over to help.

They were all ignoring the scars. It was too much right now. _That can be dealt with later._

"I don't really know exactly what that was. It looks like it caused him to... Well, hallucinate flashbacks? If that makes sense? The scans indicated that that might have happened, at least."

Kanaan rubbed his face.

 _Why do we attract the broken ones?_

He looked at his hands, still slightly red.

 _That's right. I'm broken, too._

Their broken family stood over their youngest, but not shortest, member. They wiped off the blood and stared at all his wounds and scars. He was family. But he had a past without them. Someone had hurt their family. And that seriously jarred them.

Right then, then couldn't do much for him. So the crew silently washed away the memory of pain and tried to patch him back together as best they could.

They couldn't help him until he let them, though.

 _Oh, kid._ Kanaan thought. _What are we going to do with you?_

 **Thank you, Chiibe the Rebel for reminding me to write!**

 **Cool idea, Taylor Fireheart.**

 **Midnight Luna: Luna, I find your lack of character torment disturbing.**

 **: kk :)**

 **Thanks for the info, Jewlie-chan. It was really helpful. I will really need it in a bit. ;)**

 **Guest: true. Depressing and heart wrenching, but true.**

 **Try to guess the story behind the hallucination about Zeb. If you are close, you will get spoilers!**

 **But, it will be pretty hard. Just to warn you. Look back at the previous one, too.**


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry, I've been super busy. I had to finish summer work, then school started and I was swamped.

I drew a pic of Sabine. Should I make it a cover pic?

Thanks to all my followers and commenters!

The dusty cantina smelled of cigar smoke, which drifted around the air like a swirl of gray. The day was humid and the smell of sweat was as stifling as the damp air. Two men sat at the bar, huddled away from the 'entertainment' section. They sat close together, talking in hushed whispers. One was a redhead human. The other was dressed in black armor, which made him stick out like a sore thumb. The redhead frowned, clearly agitated as his eyes swept the room again. But money was money.

"You see, we used to know him. He, uh, disappeared."

The man frowned, causing his face to wrinkle with distaste. "How long ago?"

"Only a few standard hours." The redhead leaned forward more, hands cradling the strong alcohol. "We recognized him from the wanted broadcastings. We know he's your man. And," his eyes twinkled, "we know where he headed."

The man smiled. "That we can work with."

"And the pay?"

"Taken care of. Credits, as specified." A bag appeared just inches away from his twitching fingers.

The redhead smirked, tapping his fingers three times on the table. A man in a nearby booth started typing.

"Sending the information now." His hand quickly swiped the bag away, hurryidly standing. Even he was anxious to leave. He disliked these transactions. Why couldn't they have disposed of the boy themselves?

"Thank you, sir." The blond scratched his side burns, standing with the man. "The Empire appreciates your service."


	11. Chapter 11

Ezra hated people. He hated the Empire, that much was obvious, but the page did not end there. He hated the city dwellers, huddled in their soft, warm homes, who glared at him as he huddled in the alleys trying to keep warm as the frigid wind cut through his thin shirt. He hated the rotten vendors, hunched over their twisted fruits, glaring at him as if he were the world's worst criminal. Sue him for needing to eat. He hated the passer-byes that would kick dirt up in his face, teaching him a lesson: Don't live on the streets. You're not wanted. He hated the kids that stole his food and cut him out of contact circles. He hated the allies who left when they didn't need you. He hated the partners that would kick him away when the chance came to make a little extra. He hated the people he trusted, only to have his hopes torn out again. He hated feeling as if he belonged, only to be reminded that he never could. He hated people because they were cruel and selfish and hating and... And...

And he hated them for leaving him when he needed them most.

Every time.

The truth was, Ezra hadn't just been selfish and scared. He hadn't just lived on the streets and never helped anyone. No, he was much more complicated than that. Ezra Bridger was scarred.

And he had been hurt so many times. Not just physically. Physical wounds healed, even if they left pink and white webs on his tan skin. For some reason, those unnerved people. He had learned quickly to cover them up. He was used to stares, but that didn't mean he liked them.

At first, Ezra was freaked out. He was scared and didn't know what to do. He just wanted somewhere to go. He wanted someone to care. He just wanted a freaking normal relationship! He wanted... He wanted his parents. But he realized they were long gone pretty quick.

Then he wished for someone to notice him. Not just to see him or 'deal with him,' but to want him.

That came with a rather odd man.

Kanaan had not been the first person to gain Ezra's trust, but he was the first to deserve it. Ezra had been hurt many times, but then he learned. He learned to become like those around him. Mostly. Okay, maybe not a lot like them, but he learned to never under any circumstances trust anyone other than himself. That was it.

Kanaan, though, had seen right through him. Ezra felt drawn to him. This man was different. He somehow rose above them. And he felt himself giving away pieces of himself he had never even spoken of before. Kanaan knew how to draw Ezra out from behind his well built fortress. (Kanaan had remarked that his mind was spectacularly guarded for someone who didn't even know what the force was.)

And it scared him. Ezra knew he would never betray him, but he had lived out the same dang scene too many times to have the panic resurface all over again. He found himself wanting to spill the beans and move on with his life. He couldn't, though. He was terrified of being tossed aside again. Family or not, the Ghost crew couldn't erase his past. Ezra couldn't trust anyone anymore.

Not even himself.

Yeah, people could be careless and senseless and brainless. They could be insensitive and stupid. They could be horrible and apathetic and bitter and harsh. They could be scalding and volatile and violent and caustic. They could be all these thongs and more, but do you know what? Ezra didn't hate people. He hated being hurt.

And he hated being drugged. He had known from the second that blasted thing tore into his shoulder that crap was about to happen. He didn't know anything after that, though, because all he remembered was fuzzy scenes and weird faces. Which was not a good sign.

Consciousness came slowly. It started with breathing. Breathing was good, even if it was all he could feel. The calming pressure of cool air filled his lungs, then floated out in a constant rhythm. His nose went online next. The air was clean, too clean. It smelled like bacta, which was not a nice smell. It reminded him of the hospital on Lothal, except there was no smoke or alarms. His fingers twitched, but only slightly. Cool air ghosted across his skin. He thought it was weird to feel so calm and detached, especially since he had no idea where the heck he was. Was he even wearing clothes?

His tongue flopped around for a moment. Dirt and blood were not the normal combo, but it was stale and old. No cause for worry. Not that Ezra felt worried about anything at the moment. He was rather lightheaded.

So... How awake was he?

Smell, check. Taste, check. Touch, kinda. Um. Aren't there more?

He struggled to open his heavy eyes. He didn't really want to, though.

His dark peace was shattered as he peeked out from behind tired eyelids. He slowly woke up to the scene around him.

He was in the med bay. Why, again? Oh, right, the uh... The thingymajiger. To be expected, then.

Hopefully he didn't do anything too stupid.

He glanced to the door, then around the room. Nothing was much different. He was fine! He wasn't even hooked up to anything. Kanaan was snoring beside him. Glancing beside his master, he saw a few syringes and a bottle of sedatives.

Okay, maybe he did something a bit stupid.

He suddenly got a horrid idea. His eyes slowly turned down, taking in the bandage wrapped around his upper shoulder... Oh kriff.

Oh, freaking kriffin karabast.

The bandage extended down and wrapped around his chest. His stomach down was covered by a thin, translucent sheet. His stomach peeked just barely put from under it. His jump suit was not on. Okay, awkward. He was, thankfully, wearing shorts. And underwear. All good things, all good things. His leg was also bandaged and wrapped.

But he could see a long, thin curl of white flesh. Bile rose up in Ezra's throat. He closed his eyes tightly for a moment, tucking his chin against his shoulder.

No. I'm not going to relive that again.

His ears turned red. He felt weak. He felt guilty. His past still haunted him. He was ashamed of it.

He moved a bit, hearing the sheets rustle as they fell back and his skin touched to cool air. Kanaan gave a start, yawning and rubbing his eyes as he sat up.

Ezra smirked. No one could read him if he didn't want to be read. He never did. "Welcome to the land of the living, master."

Kanaan paused, then dropped his hands to his lap with a smile. "Why, thank you, but I do believe I've been here longer than you."

Ezra smiled slightly, very aware that his stomach peeked out from under the thin sheet. He could almost see a small, white streak.

Kanaan cleared his throat and Ezra jumped, head snapping up. Totally not suspicious at all. Oh, why bother. He already knew.

"Ezra," his master began softly.

Ezra sighed. He shifted, staring at his hands, which pushed him up into a sitting position. The feeling was coming back to the rest of his body now and he couldn't stay still. The blanket slid down, so he snatched it back up against himself.

Cheeks burning, he ducked his head, allowing his bangs to hide his face.

Hiding. Ezra was good at that.

"Ezra," Kanaan grabbed his hand, leaning forward. "You can trust us. You know that, right?"

"I-". He glanced up and saw the care in Kanaan's eyes. He saw the worry. His face crumbled. "It's not you."

Kanaan just sat there. He waited patiently.

"It's just- I can't remember what it's like to trust anyone anymore. It failed for so long that I just- stopped."

Kanaan smiled sadly. "I know."

Ezra looked up a bit startled.

"After the Empire took over and all my friends turned evil or died, I did the same thing as you. I just shut every one out. You know what? It works. But then I found Hera. You found us. You need to let go."

Ezra snorted. "Sounds so easy."

"It just takes time."

They sat there for a moment. Ezra sighed.

"What do you want to know."

"Everything you are willing to tell me."

The teen smiled. Kanaan gave him space. He gave him time. He would wait. For some reason, that made all the difference.

"I-"

Suddenly, the ship rattled, shaking the two.

"What was that?" Ezra asked, wide eyed.

"No clue." They jumped up and ran down the halls as Hera's voice drifted down the halls. "Kanaan! Get your sorry butt to the cannons!"

 **Thank you for all you guys who encouraged me. To be honest, I had been busy and forgot all about this for a bit. I saw the comments in my inbox and decided to thank you guys with a new chapter. I wrote it a bit different this time. I hope you like this style. Lots of love and happiness around.**

 **seriously, though. I need a picture. Can I put a pic I drew?**

 **To anyone who reads this: No negative thoughts! Be happy! If you can't, look up pictures of cute babies. Works every time**...


	12. Chapter 12: Why Do I Keep You?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars Rebels. If I did, it could not be shown on Disney. Have you read my previous chapters? This crap would freak a litttle kid out.**

Hera was not mad.

But they couldn't catch a stinking break, could they?

The ties had appeared out of nowhere. The fleet surrounded her ship and open fired. Honestly, the Ghost could have taken them. It really could have, and easily, too. And she had felt fine, if a bit startled. But then Sabine had yelped a warning and the star destroyers appeared. Two kriffing star destroyers.

They started firing on her ship. _Her ship_. The two star destroyers opened and ties poured out, flooding into space.

 _Are you kriffing kidding me?!_

Hera wasn't mad. She was _furious_.

And kind of needed to use the little Twilek room.

She maneuvered around a few dozen incoming ties. _No other rebel cell has to deal with this kriff_. Any lesser pilot would have been blown to bits. _Of course, we_ _ **had**_ _to become the Empire's stupid obsession. Don't they have anything better to do with their time?_ Left, right, flip, roll, dive. _I seriously think I might defenestrate Kanan after this_. Sabine and Zeb had commed in and were in position.

A tie broke rank and rushed the ship head on. It rushed straight toward the cockpit, the pilot's eyes trained on her. Her blood ran cold. _Bloody idiot_. It fired, Hera twisted just in time, but the blast grazed the hull. Sabine shot that suicidal maniac and he exploded into the sky as fourteen others swarmed once again. She had changed directions and now had no definite exit. Just **_out_**.

This fleet had come for blood.

Her heart raced and cod sweat beaded on her face. They were horrendously outnumbered and being beaten around. The Ghost would break free and race away before being overcome and trapped again. They couldn't get out!

And where the bloody heck was Kanan?!

Okay, he was at the last gun. Acceptable.

She heard grumbling and she reminded herself this was not the time to diminish the crew's size.

"Chop I don't care _what_ it takes. You keep that farkled deflector sheild **_up_**!"

Oh, he was going to get it today.

 _"Hera,"_ Sabine spoke, _"What are we going to do?"_

Good question.

 _"Hera,"_ Kanan warned. The Ghost veered to the right and dove. _Oh, right. This is why we keep the stupid Jedi_. She made it nearly to the bottom of the rampage before being surrounded again

The door swished open behind her and a figure stumbled into the adjacent seat.

 _They are all so freaki-! They all dead. They're just all dead today._

"And what do you think you are doing?"

"Breathing," he wheezed with a smirk.

"Get back to the med bay."

"Wait, I-"

"Now, Ezra."

"I have a plan," he protested.

Hera veered again. It had barely been a minute since the first shots were fired and the craft was already sustaining _major_ damages. They needed out and fast or they would be blown to bits.

"Shoot."

"There should be a dwarf planet near here. Not many people know about it. It's called Snow. If you land there, we just might be able to hide."

"And how are we supposed to ditch this whole fleet?"

Ezra smirked.

She frowned, confused. Her comm buzzed. _"You worry me, kid!"_

 _Jedi_. Hera couldn't help but smile. _We can't take anything seriously, can we?_

"Okay, kid. Get us out of here."

Ezra smiled widely and cracked his knuckles.

 _We are all so totally dead._ She laughed.

 **Thanks for the info that I've been spelling Kanan's name wrong. I honestly don't know how I can be so stupid sometimes. Thanks for all the support I've gotten! You guys are the best. I am so sorry that I haven't updated but I have been absolutely swamped lately. You will get some more Ezra mischief next chapter and more backstory soon, so stay tuned!**

 **As always, if you have any suggestions on how I can not be an idiot, please tell me. XD**


	13. Chapter 13: Incoming

Disclaimer: Yeah, I own nothing.

Kallus had seen a lot of weird things happen. He was used to riots and rebels, citizens and soldiers who broke the law. They always fled from him. They feared justice and Kallus loved the chase. He could always predict them. It gave him a feeling of satisfaction every time he could finish a report, sealing it off for the Empire to acknowledge. The stories followed the same, never stale repetition of crime, flight, capture, defeat. It was just the same with these rebels. Or so he had thought.

They were insane.

He sent three squadrons of ties after them and two star destroyers. That would be enough to make the mightiest generals wet their pants. Yet, these people took it calmly. At first, they made the predictable choice: run. But Kallus had made sure that they had no chance of escape. He smiled as they made petty gains toward freedom only to be sucked back in, battered around, and nearly obliterated. They were only barely avoiding destruction (although it was not without bitterness that he noted they were taking much of his force down with them). Then, it happened.

The ship was coming towards him.

The flat craft swept around a formation of ties and launched a barrel, which promptly exploded against the legion. It narrowly squeezed between two others, blasting them to bits. They approached the star destroyer.

For some reason, the ties were losing power and sporadically flying once around as the Ghost passed. They went crazy and began crashing into one another.

It came to the adjacent destroyer. Kallus gripped the bar separating himself from his lieutenants flying the ship.

There was no way...

They could only watch as the craft attached the bridge of their comrade's ship, disabling it in a colorful blaze. Ties began ramming themselves into the side of the ship, becoming suicide soldier missiles. Thankfully, he saw escape pods. The star destroyer, no matter how fortified, could not take that many hits. Ties smashed into the engines, killing them. One went through the a power generator and the center of the ship lit up like a firework. The ship sank, catching several ties as it fell into fiery oblivion.

Kallus wanted to wet himself.

What the heck just happened?

Why did his own men just do that?

The craft approached his ship. Suddenly, all the speakers crackled and buzzed and the men covered their ears.

A voice broke through. "Hello, Kallus, this is agent Jabba requesting permission to kick your sorry butt out of existence. This is our offer: surrender and retreat or be completely and utterly defeated and humiliated, you slimy son of a hutt."

Kallus growled. He barked, "Just what do you think you can do?!" He turned to his second in command, a wiry, wily sort with sunken eyes, "Blow them to pieces."

Oh, how he wished to wipe them out.

"Suit yourself," the speaker crackled. "You brought this on yourself."

 **Hey, guys! Sorry the chapter is so short, but I am really tired and need sleep! :)**

 **Hope this can be okay until I post again.**

 **P.S. : Be prepared for major Ezra shenanigans.**

 **Fire: That sounds like a great story idea! Not sure about the necklace, but I like the concept! I'll write it if that's okay with you. You have credit for the idea! :)**


	14. Chapter 14: And Then Crap Happened

_So now a kid thinks he can single handedly destroy a whole fleet?_

 _Ha!_

Kallus ordered their destruction, gripping the metal bar and smirking. There was no way they would escape alive.

Sabine loaded the canon. She aimed. Years of expertise zeroed in on her target.

 _Click_.

The package drifted out, hurdling into a small receptor. Green energy thrummed and a wall of green electricity ran across the starship. Zeb fired at the command center and a new tie found its mark. Her newest creation worked. The shield was down.

But their enemies weren't totally incompetent. Alarms blared. They were hit. Hera squeezed the controls, pulling up with all her strength. She yelled, willing the ship to get closer. They could not crash. They were already dead.

 _Ezra, your plan better work!_

Ezra grit his teeth. He and Kanan sat side by side, reaching out together.

Just a little bit more.

The Ghost pulled even with the starship, racing only a few feet from the metal surface. It approached a fleet of tie fighters. The green fire was held, however.

 _We are too close. They wouldn't risk damaging their mothership. They need to be closer._

But Ezra didn't.

Suddenly, the ties broke formation, scattering and going berserk. Sabine watched, awe struck, as they arranged into an entirely new formation. Seven ties around five. It was a shell within a shell. The ships sped toward the Ghost, swooping close, but gracefully gliding in a loop right back to where they came from. She could make out the pilots, frozen but not rigid, totally rejecting the empire for which they fought. They approached the bridge.

The Ghost race into the light of the docking bay. Troopers raced around, ships flying everywhere, but the Ghost had no problem maneuvering around. Sabine shot down several ships in beautiful explosions before their ship came upon the opposite opening. Well, they had to make her own. Six ships crashed into the wall, Sabine's last target ramming through into deep space. The stormtroopers raced for cover as the vacuum of space sought to consume them, many thrown out into the freezing darkness. Sabine jumped, landing on the back of a tie. Zeb pushed her in.

But the Ghost went on its own.

It cut right back up, barely clearing the mass of metal before coasting alongside it again. Enemy ships approached, but none could fire for fear of damaging the starship and losing their lives. The empire's command by force and threats were bound to be its own downfall.

Ezra held his concentration. Sabine was almost ready.

Their personal fleet fired on their enemies, creating confusion and mayhem once again. Explosion after explosion dragged the empire's might to its knees as the once great fleet fell. Only two ties fell. The rest raced away, pursued by the majority of the remainder of the fleet. The ties twisted, coming near to the Ghost again. They slowed. The others caught up.

Suddenly, an explosion ripped through the side of the ship and engulfed half the fleet. The remainder barreled into the side of the bridge, snapping command and control.

The Ghost raced towards the descending carnage as it erupted into flames. It flew into the hangar, barely stopping just as a tie pulled even with it. Ezra and Kanan were ready, arms extended. Sabine jumped, Ezra grabbing her wrist and pulling her to safety. Zeb barreled into the ship and Kanan hoisted him in. Then the doors were shut and the Ghost was fleeing. The heat from outside radiated in the ship. But they were too late. The bay exploded just as the Ghost left. Power went out, the crew was flung to the ground, and the Ghost hurdled off into space.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~###~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey, guys. Sorry I haven't updated. Life got in the way. Honestly, it was insane. This year, I decided to take four AP courses, which I have adjusted to, but that was a lot for me at first. (Why do I keep ending clauses with preposition?). To be honest, though, some crap happened and I had to struggle through it, but I am much better than before. Actually, I'm better than I've ever been. It's really amazing. Things are looking really good.

And I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I can't wait to see your replies! The next update will come soon, I promise!

So, in the meantime, I want to tell you something. You are beautiful. You are loved.

See you soon, gorgeous ;)


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